A new newsletter from the Council of Development Finance Agencies and Clean Energy Group is worth checking out (newsletter here). Interesting items of note in the new publication include state efforts to respond to climate change through establishment of state green banks and the use of public debt to leverage private sector investment in clean energy; the new "green bond" standards released by several large financial institutions; an effort of banks and insurance companies to highlight that climate change has become a "systemic risk factor" in the investment world. On the green bond topic, Bank of America's Head of Global Capital Markets, Lisa Carnoy, says the biggest green investment shift in 2014 is likely to be toward greater use of green bond products which are dedicated exclusively to funding climate-friendly projects. Worldwide in 2013 there were $7 billion of such bonds issued as of last November, according to a report non-profit Ceres released, which projects the market for clean energy bonds to grow to $18-40 billion annually by 2020.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
