Our Challenge

The financial decisions of banks, investment firms, multilateral funds, development agencies and government ministries shape our collective future by informing which economic activities receive investment and which don’t. This tremendous influence makes finance central in the just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.  

But despite rising awareness of the critical role of finance in achieving climate and nature goals, action lags ambition — and we aren’t being ambitious enough, either. While global climate finance continues to grow, reaching $1.9 trillion in 2023, not enough of it reaches sectors and geographies that need it. Commitments to phase out fossil finance and subsidies have stalled, and systemic issues in the global financial architecture hold up investments in climate action and sustainable development. And in addition to raising more money, the world needs to significantly improve the way it delivers finance for green growth.  

$2.4T

Annual investment need in developing countries by 2030 to reach climate and nature goals, excluding China

$1.3T

Annual figure pledged to developing countries from external sources by 2035, with at least $300 billion coming from developed countries

$7.9T

Global banks' investments in fossil fuels from the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 to 2025

Our Approach

WRI aims to shift financial flows away from activities that fuel climate change and towards solutions that benefit people, nature and climate.

We produce data-driven research that informs policies and implementation in national, international and private sector contexts. We advance the role of finance in international climate change negotiations by providing expert input to the Paris Agreement process, tracking financial flows, and publishing recommendations for improving climate finance architecture.

We strengthen the capacity of governments to access and deliver climate finance, supporting the creation of Fiji's national climate finance strategy, outlining how country platforms can attract investment and how to make climate finance transparent, accountable and participatory. 

We promote sustainable private-sector finance — including in our own endowment — by researching topics like physical climate risks, nature-based assets, blended finance, and climate risk disclosure. WRI hosts P4G, a platform strengthening climate entrepreneurship and accelerating country climate transitions by investing in and learning from climate startups in low- and middle-income countries. 

And we work to green multilateral development finance institutions and South-South finance through direct engagement and research.

Learn more

The Paying for Paris Resource Hub provides a comprehensive, multimedia collection of tools for planning, raising and redirecting finance for national climate efforts. With interviews, policy briefs and a library of useful links, the hub showcases research, expert experience and case studies from around the world.

Learn more