We Innovate For Climate Because Our Future Depends On It

In Frankfurt this week, Innovate4Climate brought together climate leaders who recognized and applauded the growth in climate finance and innovation but noted that much remains to be done to scale up action and get on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s 2°C goal.

The big news coming out of #Innovate4Climate was the launch by the Government of Spain of a new initiative to develop next-generation climate solutions. This represents the first step toward facilitating new climate markets using an instrument that addresses the supply and demand of mitigation outcomes, to attract private investors and new sources of financing in line with the Paris Agreement.

There was standing room only at the presentation of the World Bank’s 2018 edition of the State and Trends of Carbon Pricing report and IETA’s GHG Markets Sentiment Survey. The World Bank report shows that coverage of global greenhouse gas emissions by carbon pricing mechanisms is up by 5 percent compared to last year - now covering about 20% of emissions. There’s a growing sense of optimism about the prospects for emissions trading around the world.

“The conference successfully convened key actors on climate finance from both the private and public sector. I am glad to see that the agenda featured resilient investing and insurance-linked solutions to climate risks. These topics will gain prominence as the impacts of a changing climate require us to rethink conventional business models,” said Simone Ruiz-Vergote, Managing Director at Allianz Climate Solutions.

Participants brought latest examples of financial innovation, business, technology and policy solutions to accelerate mitigation and adaptation.  Sessions on blockchain technology and disruptive technologies to form new systems that save clients time and money drew big crowds, as did presentations at the Pitch Hub on energy efficient lighting and cooking in India by EESL.

With a new optimism and a sense that carbon markets have turned a corner – for example, the average carbon price in the EU’s emissions trading scheme is now above 14 Euros per ton– business is showing renewed interest in investing in climate-smart projects. As Ingrid Hoven, Director General of Global Issues at Germany’s BMZ said, “there is new confidence in the air, confidence in market solutions.”

Innovate4Climate is about tapping the ideas and ingenuity of a growing community of business, finance, technology, civil society and policy leaders and increasing their role in driving climate action. Everyone has a part to play: governments, for example, can put policies and MRV infrastructure in place; multilateral development banks like the World Bank can help de-risk climate investments through financial and political guarantees; business can increase the use of private investment capital; and civil society can highlight progress while bringing a voice to the most vulnerable people.

“Climate Change is a challenge but also opens enormous opportunities,” said Hans Peter Lankes, IFC Vice President for Economics & Private Sector Development when closing the Summit. “To take these opportunities to their full scale, partnerships, innovation and leadership are critical. Governments must provide enabling regulations; MDBs must help mobilize investors by mitigating risks; and the private sector must come in full force with its capacity to innovate and provide solutions.“

This second Innovate4Climate conference showed, once again, the importance of bringing key climate finance players together to discuss ideas around accelerating decarbonization and presenting concrete solutions and deals.

The World Bank takes an approach it calls “Maximizing Finance for Development” and aims to harness the power of everyone in the room to unlock climate finance. It involves redefining the approach to development finance, by leveraging the private sector in ways that optimize the use of scarce public resources. Meeting the Paris Agreement’s commitments requires investments at unprecedented speed and scale. The financing needs are monumental but so are the opportunities. Emerging market economies will need about $23 trillion to meet the Paris objectives. Unlocking this potential demands forward-looking policies, innovation and investors with capacity to take some risk.

“Blockchain has the potential to truly transform our global supply chains and create disruption but only when used in combination with other technologies to address the needs of society. We all have a role to play in defining those needs and in finding the new business cases to accelerate the transition and affect change.” said Deanna MacDonald, CEO and Co-Founder of BLOC.

There are major challenges ahead, but also solutions and opportunities. The message was loud and clear at I4C: private investment in climate action and green growth is good for the bottom line. And that is a message everyone can get behind.