Finance

Working to shift the world’s financial flows to support sustainable development at the World Resources Institute

Why the CFTC’s New Report on Climate Change and Financial Stability Matters

A new report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on climate-related financial and market risks calls for a carbon price and climate stress testing, along with other recommendations.

The mission of WRI’s Finance Center is to promote the shift of finance away from environmentally unsustainable activities and toward sustainable ones. We do this through the production of data-driven, policy-actionable research and knowledge products and by convening coalitions of key stakeholders that can drive action on the ground.

Our team is multidisciplinary and brings together experience from academia and the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Helping to Meet Global Challenges

The Finance Center supports the rest of WRI as we seek to tackle WRI’s Global Challenges. We do so through deep, multi-year partnerships with a subset of WRI Programs, through cross-cutting activities designed to influence financial institutions and markets, and through the provision of tailored technical advice to WRI’s programs and international offices.

Our work is structured around five key themes: (1) financing NDC implementation, (2) “greening” private sector finance, (3) strengthening public financial institutions, (4) encouraging the U.S. and China to be sustainable finance champions, and (5) strengthening investment in adaptation and resilience.

Keep up with our work by subscribing for news and updates via email and following us on Twitter @wrifinance.

Top Finance Outcomes

What's a top outcome?

Top outcomes are WRI's biggest success stories. They occur when our analysis, solutions, or partnerships result in significant change in the world.

Featured Expert

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz

Global Director, Sustainable Finance Center

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October 28, 2020 Blog post

Importing a Good Idea to the U.S.: Parametric Insurance and Climate-Related Risks

When climate-related natural disasters -- like wildfires and hurricanes -- strike in the United States, state and local governments need to consider new tools to raise cash. International experience with parametric insurance products offers some innovative options.
October 21, 2020 Blog post

7 Ways to Bridge the Blue Finance Gap

Capital of all types must go toward building ocean resilience and minimizing ocean risks, yet investment into the ocean economy is drastically low. Transforming economic models and market systems is a critical step in slowing the decline in ocean health, stopping biodiversity loss and realizing the full economic potential of the ocean.
October 07, 2020 Blog post

Structuring an Endowment to Align with Paris Agreement Goals: Insights from WRI's Climate Change Investment Efforts

Instead of incorporating climate change into our standing Investment Policy Statement (IPS), WRI developed a Climate Change Investment Statement to elaborate on how we integrate climate-related factors into our endowment portfolio.
September 23, 2020 Commentary

NDC Enhancement and COVID-19 Recovery: Building Blocks for a Sustainable Future

As 2020 began, the question of whether and how countries would strengthen their commitments under the Paris Agreement loomed large, driven by a global youth climate movement and a growing recognition of the urgency to keep temperature change below 1.5 degrees C. The sudden arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly complicated this task, consuming the attention of national leaders and senior officials.
September 14, 2020 Blog post

3 Things to Know About ESG Fund Behavior During the Pandemic

Twenty-four of 26 ESG index funds covering both U.S. and global stocks outperformed comparable conventional funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 09, 2020 News

STATEMENT: US Financial Regulators Should Address Climate Risks That Threaten to Destabilize Our Economy

Environmental organizations among committee that developed first-ever federal report on climate threat to US financial stability.