It’s overwhelmingly accepted that climate change is a very significant threat to humanity and while there are countless solutions to tackling what has been described by the UN as the “existential threat” of our times, it is still not fully clear how these solutions will be paid for.
Investments in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure are growing, however from January 2020 to March 2021, globally, more money was spent on fossil fuels, which when burned create the harmful gasses driving climate change.
Many countries lack the financial resources to make the transition to clean energy and a sustainable way of life that could reverse climate change. The UN says that says that climate finance is the answer because not investing will cost even more in the long-term, but also because there are significant opportunities for investors.
What is Climate finance?
Broadly speaking , climate finance relates to the money which needs to be spent on a whole range of activities which will contribute to slowing down climate change and which will help the world to reach the target of limiting global warming to an increase of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.