Sustainable Energy

The Asia-Pacific region has urbanized rapidly over the past century and is now home to more than half of the global urban population—over 2.2 billion people. Although population growth is slowing, an estimated 1.2 billion people, or roughly 48 million annually, are expected to move to the region’s urban areas by 2050. Urbanization has spurred economic growth, expanded infrastructure, and created opportunities. However, it has also laid bare inequalities that prevent hundreds of millions of people from fully benefiting from urban development. 

Sustainable Development Goal 7 on energy (SDG 7) outlines clear targets for universal access, increasing renewable energy and improving energy efficiency, while Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement provides a basis for limiting greenhouse gas emissions. However, while many countries have made considerable progress towards these goals, the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to meet SDG 7 or the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to two degrees. 

Governments and companies around the world have committed to adding some 826 gigawatts of new non-hydro renewable power capacity in the decade to 2030, at a likely cost of around $1 trillion. Those commitments fall far short of what would be needed to limit world temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius. They also look modest compared to the $2.7 trillion invested during the 2010-2019 decade, as recorded by this Global Trends report.

Climate change, ocean pollution, and disasters from natural hazards have also placed a heavy burden, especially on the poor and vulnerable. Further, these challenges are magnified by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that has become a global emergency in 2020, requiring forceful action at the national, regional, and international levels. Although it remains uncertain when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, economic and social impacts on the region will be significant.

Two funded projects by the European Commission (LANDMARC and TIPPING+) were officially started.
 

This webinar discusses what is needed to make green projects "bankable", the role of a guarantee in a green bond issuance, how rating agencies analyze bonds' credit standing, and what can be done to mobilize more capital through green bonds.

Moderator:

• Cedric Rimaud, CFA - ASEAN Programme Manager, Climate Bonds Initiative.

Speakers: