Climate Finance: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities on the Path to a Sustainable Planet

Net zero by 2050 requires significant capital deployment through innovative climate finance and supportive policies. Policymakers and capital markets face the challenge of generating returns, driving economic growth, and ensuring sustainability. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates existing technologies can achieve 80% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030, but mobilizing capital to finance them at scale is crucial. This article explores how U.S. and European public and private capital markets are innovating to fund investments to drive the transition to net-zero and demonstrates the importance of policies and public-private partnerships to stimulate the necessary investments.