Climate Policy Initiative Finds that Global Climate Finance Totals at Least USD 97 Billion a Year

VENICE, Italy, November 7, 2011 -

- Most funding comes from private investors rather than public funds

To support discussions on the adequacy and effectiveness of international climate finance, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) has published the first comprehensive review of the climate finance landscape. Compiling data from a wide range of sources, CPI’s report shows how much finance is currently available and describes the flows of finance, including the sources, intermediaries, instruments, channels, and end uses.

CPI finds that at least USD 97 billion is already being provided annually to finance low-carbon, climate-resilient development activities. However, CPI also points to definitional uncertainties that make it difficult to assess whether the international community is close to meeting its commitment to mobilize USD 100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing nations tackle climate change. For example, questions arise about how much of the USD 97 billion can be considered “new and additional,” and whether both public and private sources of finance should be counted. It is also unclear whether the portion that is capital investment should be considered as aid. Additionally, the USD 97 billion figure relates to commitments, not disbursements, counted at their gross value (rather than the net ‘aid’ value); it is not clear whether the USD 100 billion commitment is similarly defined.

“While the debate about the amount of funding is topical leading up to the COP 17 in Durban, for us the data also prompts questions about how current flows correspond to countries’ needs, whether current uses are effective, and how climate finance can be scaled up to support the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future,” said Barbara Buchner, director of CPI Venice. “We hope that these questions are addressed in the next phase of discussions.”

CPI also finds that:

• The total amount of private finance is almost three times greater than total public finance, indicating the importance of capital investment to mitigation and adaptation activities. Finance derived from offset markets plays only a small role at present.
• Intermediaries, including bilateral and multilateral financial institutions, play a key role in distributing climate finance (around 40% of the total). Dedicated climate funds represent a small but growing portion of finance.
• Most climate finance (USD 74-87 billion out of USD 97 billion) can be classified as gross investment that has to be paid back (e.g., loans, equity).
• The vast majority of climate finance (95%) is used for mitigation; only a small share goes to adaptation measures.
• While there are many efforts underway to track and document elements of the climate finance landscape, information is fragmented and definitions and methodologies vary. This impedes a better understanding of what is needed to enhance the effectiveness of climate finance.

Climate Policy Initiative is a global analysis and advisory organization focused on policy effectiveness.  Its mission is to assess, diagnose, and support nations’ efforts to achieve low-carbon growth.

Ruby Barcklay, +1-510-612-5180, ruby at climatepolicyinitiative.org