BwB Managing Director Jennifer Faust and Arindam Basu, Global Head for Sustainable Finance, hosted the latest BwB Talk Series, where we bring innovative leaders in impact, finance, and the environment to speak with our network around the world. The BwB Talk Series helps generate new ideas for our network by bringing experts to share their deep knowledge of sustainability topics.
Last week, the team enjoyed a talk from Benjamin Bartle, a Project Director at the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) from RMI and Board Director at the Climate Markets and Investment Association (CMIA). RMI is an organisation of experts working to accelerate the clean energy transition. CFAN, introduced by RMI, works to support developing countries in securing and structuring finance for various climate investments. CMIA is a coalition of private-sector actors that provides leadership for the delivery of climate investment policy and help to mobilise capital that will enable a transition to a low-carbon economy.
Some of the key takeaways from this talk were:
·RMI aims to decarbonise energy systems through market-based changes. They work with businesses, policymakers, communities, and other organisations to identify and apply practical and scalable energy system interventions. By collaborating with those in critical geographies, RMI is helping to drive change on the massive scale needed to combat the climate crisis.
·RMI’s strategy to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 requires a carbon-free grid to power key sectors such as industry, mobility, buildings, and electricity. To power these sectors to be carbon-free needs acceleration through market catalysts such as policy, finance, and technology, and applied across critical global geographies.
· RMI have a particular focus on enhancing resilience and addressing energy poverty in the Global South. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are particularly vulnerable when it comes to clean energy transition and can face several barriers in the process. This includes difficulty accessing finance, nascent markets, donor fragmentation and lack of local capacity. RMI are committed to ensuring these communities have access to affordable, reliable, and clean power by bringing together governments and utilities to plan and deploy clean energy solutions through their Theory of Change programme.
Keep up to date with our BwB Talk Series on our LinkedIn and Twitter. The BwB Talk Series is held periodically through the BwB network and brings together innovative thought leaders to speak with stakeholders around climate and finance issues. The BwB Talk Series supports collaborative and iterative conversations with people worldwide. Please direct any questions or requests for additional information to info@bwbuk.org or your usual BwB contact.
BankerswithoutBoundaries, an innovator in finance, is a not for profit powered by former investment bankers to assist high impact projects that benefit the environment and social good.BwBworks with local and sub- and national governments,cities, institutions,and foundations to mobilise capital advisory and research services. BwBapplies financial concepts and structuring to public projects to align them with the investment needs of capital markets, thinking about risk reduction, scaling and generation of financial returns alongside broader positive co-benefits and impacts.To learn more about Bankers without Boundaries and our work, visit https://www.bwbuk.org