Institutional investors, which together manage assets of over $70 trillion, often have investment objectives that are aligned with the investment profile of low-carbon infrastructure. At first glance, access to this large pool of capital and the alignment of objectives should help lower the costs of financing renewable energy. In this study, CPI finds that while these investors could supply a significant share of the total required investment, various factors limit the extent to which they can invest in a way that could lower the cost of financing renewable energy. Furthermore, financial regulation of institutional investors, regulation of energy markets, and renewable energy policy, often create additional obstacles to renewable energy investment.
Risk — whether real or perceived — is the single most important factor preventing renewable energy projects from finding financial investors, or raising the returns that these investors demand. It is also one thing that policymakers can cause, control, alleviate, or help mitigate. In a series of three studies, titled Risk Gaps, CPI maps the availability of risk instruments against demand and analyzes several new, potential instruments designed to address the biggest gaps: first-loss protection instruments and policy risk insurance.
Green economy (GE) was recognized at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012 as an essential tool in achieving sustainable development. Effective GE policymaking requires indicators that capture the nexus of economic, social and environment issues in order to provide the evidence-based information necessary for effective decision-making. UNEP has developed a Green Economy Indicators Framework that weaves various indicators into the Integrated Policymaking process and is intended to assist policymaking at the country level. This report synthesises three studies on the role of indicators in assisting national green economy policymaking that were conducted in Ghana, Mauritius and Uruguay. Based on these country experiences, the report discusses key findings and challenges.
Effective water management is a crucial ingredient for green growth. It is becoming increasingly clear that astute investment in, and management of, water can help to drive green growth. To do this, governments must catalyse water-related investment and innovation that underspin sustained green growth and give rise to new economic opportunities. Drawing on recent OECD work on policies to support green growth, and on water economics and governance, this Policy Perspectives brochure lays out the opportunities to manage and invest in water as a means for green growth. This paper identifies the key policy options that governments can use to assist this transition towards greener growth.
