Global Climate Finance

This course seeks to help students gain a better understanding of the evolving, complex landscape of climate finance which involves many varied sources and institutions, financial instruments, and approaches to fund climate mitigation and adaptation. The course will examine options to overhaul the architecture of development finance to incorporate concepts of climate justice and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explore how to create new financial products and international funding partnerships to accelerate available funding for green investment and climate resilient development in the developing world. Coursework is designed to provide students with a better understanding of financing tools such as purchasing power agreements (PPA) for renewable energy, green bonds, debt for climate swaps, and blended finance. A special unit on voluntary carbon offsets markets and compulsory carbon pollution allowance markets is designed to help students gain an in-depth knowledge of carbon pricing in practice and an overview of the potential professional pathways in that arena. The course will employ guest lectures, student-led case study investigations, and key readings in the areas of public climate finance, carbon markets, and the role of private sector finance.