9 December 2015: The Climate Bonds Initiative and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a guide for public sector decision makers on scaling up green bond markets for climate change mitigation and other objectives of sustainable development. The guide aims to accelerate the growth of the green bond market to achieve the US$6.2 trillion of annual investment estimated necessary to build the infrastructure of low-carbon economies around the world.

Released on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference, on 9 December 2015, the consultation paper titled ‘Scaling up Green Bond Markets for Sustainable Development – A strategic guide for the public sector to stimulate private sector market development for green bonds’ provides detailed action plans, best practice examples, and an introduction to the rationale for public sector support for climate investments. It outlines concrete actions in the following areas: policy actions to expand green bond markets in advanced and emerging economies; markets development, including guidelines and standards; instruments for aggregation and credit enhancement; investment, including investor capacity-building, tax incentives, strategic public investment, the role of central banks, and adjustment of risk weightings; and domestic and international cooperation.

The guide also contains an Annex by the World Bank on the building blocks of bond market development, directed at decision-makers in emerging economies to assist in foundational bond-market development.

Climate Bonds is an international, investor-focused, not-for-profit organization that promotes large-scale investments in projects and assets necessary for a transition to low-carbon economies. [UNEP Press Release] [Climate Bonds Press Release] [Publication: Scaling up Green Bond Markets for Sustainable Development] [Executive Briefing]