Days after the World Bank dropped its 45% climate finance target under U.S. pressure, the immediate fight over the benchmark is over. The bigger question now is whether climate resilience remains central to development finance, or becomes politically negotiable. The World Bank’s decision this week to scrap its 45% climate
New research suggests restoring the world’s seagrass meadows could become one of the largest untapped opportunities in nature-based climate finance—particularly for Small Island Developing States and coastal economies. A new peer-reviewed study published in npj Ocean Sustainability concludes that restoring the world’s seagrass ecosystems could generate between USD $1.13 trillion
As governments around the world rethink how to safeguard critical industries amid intensifying geopolitical competition, Portugal is preparing to join a growing number of nations deploying sovereign wealth funds as instruments of long-term economic strategy. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has announced plans to establish a Portuguese sovereign wealth fund designed
LONDON — At a moment when governments are scaling back funding for climate science and conservation, billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a new $260 million (£196 million) commitment to ocean protection, positioning private philanthropy as an increasingly important force in protecting the world’s
A Major Vote of Confidence in Renewable Gas As Europe races to secure its energy future while accelerating decarbonization, a major new investment into biogas infrastructure is signaling growing confidence in renewable gases as part of the continent’s long-term energy mix. The European Investment Fund has committed €200 million to
In a move that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, Germany’s sovereign wealth fund has dismantled one of the core pillars of its investment philosophy: the exclusion of weapons manufacturers. The decision signals more than a portfolio adjustment. It marks a profound shift in how Europe—and increasingly
In capitals across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, a quiet but consequential shift is underway. Governments are no longer relying solely on markets to secure their economic futures. Instead, they are building and deploying sovereign wealth funds at an unprecedented pace—transforming state capital into a primary instrument of geopolitical
In the race to align capital with a rapidly changing climate reality, one obstacle has consistently held back progress: data. Not the absence of it, but its fragmentation, cost, and complexity. Now, the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative is attempting to solve that problem at scale, unveiling a new
The world’s most influential investors are no longer confined to Wall Street or the City of London. Increasingly, they are headquartered in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Doha—where sovereign wealth funds, fueled by decades of oil revenues, are rewriting the rules of global finance. Collectively managing between $4 trillion and $5
The global race to finance climate resilience took a decisive turn this week as the Green Climate Fund approved $440 million for a new wave of projects across Africa—an investment that signals both urgency and momentum in the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Announced following the Fund’s latest board meeting, the
