Key Impact Points: The Start of COP29: Urgency for Climate Finance The UN’s COP29 kicked off this past Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, against the backdrop of a year marked by unprecedented heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. Dubbed the “climate finance COP,” the summit aims to secure financial commitments to support
By Nikos Avlonas, President of the Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) The prospect of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency in 2025 has sparked discussions about how his policies might impact sustainable development and climate action in the US and globally. During his previous term, Trump pulled the
Key Impact Points: The Role of Finance at COP29 Azerbaijan is set to host COP29, the latest UN climate negotiations. This pivotal summit will spotlight climate finance as a cornerstone for achieving global warming targets of 1.5 degrees Celsius and protecting communities from ongoing climate impacts. Why it matters: To
Key Points: Baku Takes Center Stage for COP29 Azerbaijan is set to host COP29, making it the focal point of climate action discussions for the next two weeks. This event marks another pivotal moment for addressing climate change as world leaders, top financiers, and industry experts converge in Baku to
Key Impact Points: Introducing NatureAlign: A Step Towards Nature-Positive Finance NatureFinance has launched NatureAlign, an innovative tool designed to help financial institutions measure and enhance their alignment with nature-positive outcomes. This launch aligns with the Biodiversity Plan, formerly known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), addressing the pressing need
Key Impact Points: COP 16: Biodiversity as Climate Resilience COP 16, held in Cali, Colombia under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), underscored biodiversity as essential for combating climate change. This conference marked progress by: Challenges and Progress from COP 16 COP 16 revealed key issues: Despite these hurdles, COP
Key Points: As global climate challenges escalate, green banks are emerging as crucial players in the United States’ response, particularly under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). At Climate Week NYC 2024, CDP and America Is All In gathered green banks, financial institutions, and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to explore
Key Points: As global leaders convene for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP 29) in Baku, the spotlight will be on setting a transformative New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance. This new commitment, starting at a floor of $100 billion per year, aims to empower developing countries
Key Impact Points: Amazonia Bonds: A New Financial Instrument for Conservation and Development The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank have introduced comprehensive guidelines for Amazonia Bonds, aimed at financing projects that benefit Amazonian biodiversity, local communities, and zero-deforestation initiatives. These bonds are designed as a credible, standardized
Key Impact Points: Enhancing Resilience for Climate-Vulnerable Communities In a first-of-its-kind move, Lloyd’s has joined forces with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to introduce a disaster resilience vehicle aimed at delivering critical disaster risk financing to Pacific island nations. This groundbreaking initiative will initially provide protection for communities
