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The report analyzes the financial landscape of large-scale renewable energy in California, concluding that while most projects are well-supported by existing policies like the Production Tax Credit and Renewable Portfolio Standard, specific gaps remain. These gaps include high transaction costs for tax equity, limited financing access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and high risks for early-stage innovative technologies. The document proposes that a public institution or 'green bank' could address these by aggregating and securitizing projects, providing alternative loan security (such as property tax-based repayment), and offering loan guarantees or concessional lending for innovative technologies.

Global climate finance reached at least USD 391 billion in 2014, driven by a 26% increase in private investment in renewable energy and a steady rise in public finance. Private finance, totaling USD 243 billion, remains the largest source, with China emerging as a major hub for renewable energy investment. Public finance reached USD 148 billion, with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) contributing the bulk of these funds. The report highlights a strong domestic preference, with 74% of total flows remaining within the country of origin. Mitigation projects dominated the landscape, accounting for 93% of total finance, while adaptation finance reached USD 25 billion.

The report estimates that China provided USD 21-38 billion to overseas coal power projects between 2005 and 2014, with a further USD 35-72 billion planned. This financing is primarily debt used to support Chinese equipment exports and construction contracts, driven by domestic overcapacity and strategic political goals. The report analyzes China's September 2015 commitment to control public investment in high-carbon projects, estimating that up to USD 18 billion in planned investment could be discontinued, though it warns that other international lenders or export credit agencies might fill the void.

The report estimates that climate finance reached USD 62 billion in 2014 and USD 52 billion in 2013, with an annual average of USD 57 billion. Bilateral public climate finance averaged USD 22.8 billion per year, marking a more than 50% increase over 2011-12 levels, while multilateral finance attributable to developed countries was estimated at USD 17.9 billion for the 2013-14 period.

This research paper examines how technical assistance, specifically through five programs managed by the German agency GIZ, mobilizes public and private climate finance. It distinguishes between direct mobilization (co-financing) and indirect mobilization (creating conducive policy environments and markets) and highlights the challenges in quantifying the latter due to time lags and interacting variables.

The document examines the role of technical assistance (TA) in mobilizing climate finance, arguing that TA can be as valuable as financial assistance by addressing knowledge, policy, and risk gaps. Through case studies of GIZ programs in Chile, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands, it identifies five key TA pathways: policy advice, project development support, data provision, program coordination, and institutional capacity building. The analysis estimates that GIZ-managed TA funding of €43 million mobilized between €37-233 million in public finance and up to €412 million in private finance, though it notes high uncertainty in quantifying indirect mobilization due to time lags and complex causality.

The report argues that Brazil's historical land abundance led to a misallocation of resources and land-intensive agricultural models. However, it demonstrates that productivity gains can be achieved without further deforestation by converting degraded pastures to crops and improving technology dissemination, credit access, and infrastructure. It highlights the success of the PPCDAm and DETER system in reducing Amazon deforestation but warns of new challenges, such as smaller-scale clearings and deforestation shifting to areas outside the Amazon and around protected zones.

This research paper examines the financial implications of climate change for investors, analyzing the current state of ESG data, tools, and financial products used to manage climate exposure. It highlights systemic gaps in data standardization and the limitations of existing green financial instruments, while proposing pathways for improving disclosure and mainstreaming ESG integration to better align capital with low-carbon pathways.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the role of public finance in accelerating geothermal energy deployment in developing countries. Based on case studies from Turkey, Kenya, and Indonesia, the report demonstrates that public risk-mitigation measures can reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and allow governments to achieve electricity generation goals while spending only 15-35% of the resources required for sole public ownership.

Between 2004 and 2012, Brazil's Amazon deforestation rates fell by nearly 80%, but the nature of the clearings shifted. While large-scale deforestation was curtailed by remote sensing-based monitoring, small-scale clearings (25 hectares or less) grew from 25% to over 50% of overall annual clearings because they are difficult for current systems to detect. Analysis of Mato Grosso and Pará shows that landholders adapted their behavior to avoid detection, with smallholders in Pará emerging as primary agents of clearing. The report recommends enhancing monitoring technology and tailoring policies to regional differences.

The research finds that while centralized conservation policies successfully reduced medium- and large-scale deforestation in both Mato Grosso and Pará, the impact on small-scale deforestation varied by state. In Mato Grosso, large landowners adapted by clearing forest in smaller patches to elude the DETER monitoring system, which cannot detect clearings under 25 hectares. In Pará, smallholders were more persistent in deforesting because their clearings were predominantly smaller than 25 hectares and thus remained invisible to law enforcement. The authors argue that the apparent similarity in deforestation scale across states masks critical differences in the agents involved, necessitating tailored regional policies.

Between 2004 and 2012, annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell from 27,000 km2 to 4,500 km2, largely due to conservation policies and remote sensing monitoring. However, these systems cannot detect clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading to a shift where small-scale deforestation grew from a quarter to more than half of overall annual clearings. Research in Mato Grosso and Pará shows that medium- and large-scale property holders adapted to enforcement by shifting to smaller clearings, while smallholders in Pará emerged as the primary agents of forest clearing. The brief recommends enhancing monitoring technology and tailoring policies to regional differences to address these evolving patterns.

The research finds that an increase in relative soy to beef prices encourages the conversion of pasture to cropland, which in turn reduces local deforestation. This effect is attributed to the higher input intensity of crop cultivation compared to cattle ranching, which increases local input prices and displaces low-productivity cattle ranchers. The author estimates that this land conversion saved 5,300 square kilometers of forest, representing nearly 15% of the region's total deforestation during the study period.

The paper identifies five key variables—motivation, concessionality/source, causality, geographic origin, and recipient—that shape the debate over what constitutes climate finance. It uses concentric 'onion diagrams' to map these variables based on the level of political consensus among stakeholders, with the center representing the strongest consensus. The authors provide an integrated framework to help Parties transparently communicate their preferences and identify zones of agreement, while also highlighting critical accounting issues such as committed versus disbursed funds and nominal versus subsidy costs.

The report argues that public finance for geothermal energy in developing countries must increase 7-10 fold to meet 2030 targets. Through case studies in Kenya, Indonesia, and Turkey, it demonstrates that public risk mitigation measures—such as concessional loans, guarantees, and exploration support—can reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by 35-48%, allowing governments to achieve deployment targets while spending only 15-35% of the resources required for full public ownership.

The report defines climate exposure as potential portfolio gains or losses due to climate change, categorized into policy, physical, and market exposures. It analyzes the role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data as the primary information source for investors, while highlighting significant limitations in data quality and the prevalence of voluntary disclosure. The document evaluates various management tools, including ESG data aggregators and financial products such as exclusionary, non-exclusionary, and thematic indexes, as well as green bonds and YieldCos. It concludes that current tools are skewed toward risk mitigation rather than opportunity identification and recommends mandatory standardized disclosure to improve comparability and effectiveness.

The case study analyzes the financial structure of the 250MW Bujagali Hydropower Project in Uganda, which raised nearly $300 million in commercial loans and private equity. It specifically investigates the simultaneous application of a partial risk guarantee (PRG) from the International Development Association (IDA) and political risk insurance (PRI) from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to reduce financing costs and attract private capital in a high-risk, low-income environment.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative describes three analytical tools designed to help low and middle-income countries and their partners redirect land-use finance toward climate mitigation and adaptation. The tools aim to address the gap between the hundreds of billions spent on business-as-usual land use and the relatively small amount of finance currently dedicated to green activities.

The report argues that while hundreds of billions are spent annually on land use, most are 'business-as-usual' (BAU) investments that may increase climate vulnerability. To shift this, the authors propose three tools: the Landscape of Land Use Finance to map current flows and gaps; the Financial Viability-Gap Analysis to identify where public incentives can make green projects financially feasible; and the Public Finance Mapping tool to ensure policy coherence and identify BAU subsidies. These tools aim to help low and middle-income countries scale up private investment in green agriculture, forestry, and land management.

The report argues that land use generates nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate change, yet most investment in the sector remains 'business as usual' (BAU). To address this, the authors propose three tools: a Land Use Sector Financing Landscape to map current financial flows and actors; a Financial Viability Gap analysis to identify the costs and risks preventing green investments; and a Public Financing Mapping analysis to ensure coherence among public financial instruments and incentives. These tools aim to help governments shift funding from BAU activities to green alternatives without compromising economic development.