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Report examines climate investment opportunities in south Asia

12pm, December 11th, 2017

This paper, from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), assesses the current challenges, risks, and opportunities of climate-related investments in south Asia.

South Asia has one of the highest economic growth rates in the world and represents just over 7 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. The area is also highly-vulnerable to climate change, with countries such as India, Bangladesh and Nepal facing threats from increasingly unpredictable weather and rising sea levels. South Asia urgently requires climate investment to enhance resilience and unlock opportunities for sustainable, low carbon economic growth.

The good news is that the region has governments that are actively pursuing ambitious policies to address climate change. Moreover, its private sector is already investing in climate-smart sectors, developing new business models and technologies, building more resilient supply chains, and growing their operations in a sustainable way.

This report finds that six countries in the region: Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Maldives; Nepal; and Sri Lanka have enormous untapped opportunities for climate-smart investments in renewable energy, transport, green buildings, urban wastewater, agriculture, and municipal solid waste management.

Two sectors stand out for future growth: due to rapid urbanization, green buildings represent an investment potential totaling more than $1.5 trillion across South Asia between 2018 and 2030; and green transport infrastructure and electric vehicles create an opportunity of over $950 billion to 2030. Such investments will generate further benefits by providing access to markets, enabling trade, and ensuring mobility, which can in turn unlock further economic growth and private investment.

Read the full report here: Climate investment opportunities in south Asia: An IFC analysis

Photo: Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank

Institutions Involved

  • IFC

Authors

Aditi Maheshwari, Tom Kerr, Ayesha Malik
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