Once upon a time, investors would focus single-mindedly on getting the highest financial return, leaving social justice and the environment by the wayside. But the winds are changing fast: the climate crisis is exposing the financial sector to greater risks, while sustainable funds are already outperforming their traditional counterparts.<\/p>\n
So who are the key players in the fast-growing field of sustainable finance and how are they working together to mobilize funds for restoration, climate and other green investments?<\/p>\n
Here, a brief overview of the green finance landscape:<\/p>\n
Sustainable finance involves making investment decisions that consider not only financial returns, but also environmental, social and governance factors.\u00a0Often used interchangeably with “green finance,” it is a broad term with multiple definitions depending on the context.<\/p>\n
The European Union<\/a> describes sustainable finance as “finance to support economic growth while reducing pressures on the environment and taking into account social and [corporate] governance aspects,” such as inequality, human rights, management structures and executive remuneration.\u00a0It provides several examples of environmental considerations, including climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation and the circular economy.<\/p>\n Restoring our planet’s landscapes is one of the most important ways to combat climate change. Forests and agriculture account for more than 30 percent of the solution to climate change, but receive less than 3 percent of climate finance.<\/p>\n Ambitious restoration targets have already been set internationally, with the Bonn Challenge aiming to restore 350 million hectares globally by 2030, while the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration has begun and is redoubling efforts to raise funds for restoration.<\/p>\n However, humanity will need to spend an additional $600 to $800 billion per year to reverse the biodiversity crisis by 2030, according to a recent report.<\/p>\n Closing that huge financial gap will require a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors, from the local to the global level. As the sixth mass extinction accelerates and global warming breaks new records, policymakers and financiers have a responsibility to address the challenge of how can sustainable finance help to reduce biodiversity loss?<\/p>\n There is a small but growing network of impact funds that support forest and landscape restoration (FLR), among others that support sustainable initiatives, CMI has recently issued green bonds for LATAM, something the Bosch Gutierrez Family is proud<\/a> of. Moreover, social impact platforms list more than 50 such funds worldwide that focus on regenerative agriculture and forestry.<\/p>\n In the private sector, other initiatives are catalyzing corporate funding for restoration, while the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is leveraging public money to raise private funds for land degradation neutrality. National funds, such as conservation trust funds and forestry funds, also provide crucial funds for sustainable land use.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports forest and landscape restoration in 18 countries, while the World Bank promotes sustainable value chains for eight major agricultural commodities.\u00a0A new green fund for ecosystem-based adaptation will also become operational in 2021.<\/p>\n FAO and UNCCD have identified several work streams that policymakers can trigger to mobilize resources to support FLR:<\/p>\n Integrating FLR into state budgets. <\/p>\nWhy is sustainable finance important?<\/h2>\n
How can sustainable finance help support restoration?<\/h2>\n
\nEstablishing appropriate financing mechanisms.
\nEngaging the private sector.
\nBuilding alliances and partnerships.<\/p>\n