Natalia Rajewska

Critics argue that climate adaptation finance figures from donors may be miscounted or inflated, with the Asian Development Bank accused of overstating its contributions. The need for more rigorous accounting and the lack of agreed guidelines for reporting climate finance have been highlighted. Developing countries are seeking more grants or soft loans for adaptation, rather than loans, to address climate impacts. Read the story by Md. Tahmid Zami to learn more. #ClimateFinance #ClimateAdaptation

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ClientEarth has released the Japanese language version of "Guardrails to address greenwashing of climate transition finance", a paper that sets out clear guidelines for policymakers to plug the global regulatory gap in climate transition financing and tackle the rise of greenwashing in the market. The paper, first released in English in June 2024, is the first in-depth analysis of ‘transition-washing’, or greenwashing, in labelled transition finance. Drawing in part on insights regarding Japan’s early move to spur the market for transition bond finance in the corporate sector, the paper recommends practical policy measures to raise market standards and ensure capital flows to companies that are genuinely transitioning, so that policymakers can unlock the potential of labelled transition finance in the race to net zero. Read more about the six policy guardrails that can complement existing market tools with regulatory reforms and may also help policymakers address transition-washing in other market areas such as loan, equity, and fund markets. Download the guide in Japanese: https://lnkd.in/gnvcc8wZ #ClientEarthAsia #TransitionFinance #Japan

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Unlocking capital is essential to addressing the challenges of climate change. Philanthropists can help accelerate climate and nature action in many ways, such as by supporting the blended finance space, helping grassroots organisations prove the effectiveness of their Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to mobilise public- and private-sector capital, and providing technical assistance to advance programmes to the 'shovel-ready' stage to meet investor demand. 💡 Find out more in our Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024 Insights Report that we developed with Temasek Trust - https://lnkd.in/g8YHu7m9 Titled "Partnerships for Impact: A Roadmap on Collaboration to Catalyse Climate, Education, and Health Action in Asia", the report uncovers valuable insights from Philanthropy Asia Alliance members and partners at this year's Summit. It highlights the power of collective action and systems thinking in philanthropy, in the interconnected areas of climate, education, and health. The Philanthropy Asia Summit is the flagship platform for action of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance — a Temasek Trust initiative to promote collaborative philanthropy and prime Asia as a force for good. #PAS2024 #PhilanthropyAsiaAlliance #TemasekTrust #ClimateAction #BlendedFinance #NaturebasedSolutions #ThoughtLeadership

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How to best fund sustainable development and justice-related issues in the Global South? Philanthropic collaboratives are driving outsized local impact across many issues, while staying rooted in equity. That's the convincing recommendation as formulated in a compelling report by The Bridgespan Group. The report argues that collaborative funds - entities that strategically channel resources from multiple donors to nonprofits and community-based organizations - deliver outsized impact across issue areas in the Global South. Yet they remain a largely underutilized segment of the global philanthropic landscape. This has to change! The report assesses 40 collaborative funds, including some of our own strategic partners, such as Fundo Baobá para Equidade Racial, Samdhana Institute and Casa Socio-Environmental Fund, and highlights what is their unique value proposition. Three prominent and intertwined factors are featured: efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement. - First, collaborative funds are efficient ways of supporting funders with navigating due diligence, logistics, and risk. - Second, funds are effective because they are proximate to communities and build capacity. - Third, collaborative funds engage donors in a learning journey. Our gratitude to the lead authors, Sonali Patel, Alexandra Hughes Browne, Gayle Martin and Zachary Slobig, for showing how collaborative funds and trust-based #philanthropy are indeed a best practise, a good fit and compelling way forward to address structural development and justice-related issues! 🙏🏾🌎🌳 See full report below, or download in the following link: https://lnkd.in/duFdBNMR

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There are multiple stories to be told about adaptation finance. The first is that, despite mounting climate impacts, investments in adaptation are much lower than needed. But at the same time, what we call “adaptation finance” is only a fraction of what is needed to make countries, communities, and people more resilient. In this blog post, we claim that reducing vulnerability to climate impacts and building resilience requires three things: more rapid development, more resilient development, and targeted adaptation interventions. Climate finance numbers tend to only capture the latter, while countries need to achieve all three for good adaptation with the first two particularly important for the world’s poorest countries. How does the picture change when we take this broader perspective on adaptation and resilience? What priorities do emerge? One key idea is that, even with more adaptation finance, we will never be able to protect populations and economies if development investments are insufficient or if they continue to create new risks and vulnerabilities because they do not take future climate conditions into account. See more in the blog post, co-authored with Jia Li and Ferzina Banaji https://lnkd.in/gX9ngup4

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In S&P Global Sustainable1's latest sustainability-related regulatory update, we look at Malaysia’s proposed climate change law, a delay for the EU’s deforestation regulation and Canada’s plan to mandate climate-related financial disclosures, among many other topics.

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"Limited access to banks forces me to travel far for basic needs." - A rural Indonesian woman. Women like her are building resilience against climate change. This report offers solutions: https://lnkd.in/exi4Ueju #banking #climatechange #FIAGlobal #FinancialInclusion #report

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❝We cannot swap the #ClimateCrisis for a #DebtCrisis. The New Collective Quantified Goal on #ClimateFinance (#NCQG) must be new and additional, predictable, grant based…#ClimateFinance should flow equally for #Mitigation and #Adaptation and increasingly for #LossAndDamage❞ - Bhutan 🇧🇹 stresses the need for a definition of #ClimateFinance under the New Collective Quantified Goal on #ClimateFinance (#NCQG) to ensure that debt creating instruments are not counted at the 6th High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance on Day 4 of #COP29.

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IFC - International Finance Corporation has put climate at the center of its work. However, a report by its watchdog, CAO, finds that it needs to update its policies that measure and mitigate emissions and also better implement them. @Adva Saldinger reports. #climate #emissions

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Brilliant to see #genderequity integrated into #ICVCM's Core Carbon principles and Assessment Framework. And as the roll out begins #gender advocates and specialists are going to be much needed to support those in the sector keen to leverage #VCM finance for women who are at the forefront of #climate action

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auctusESG presents to you an exciting line-up of webinars on pertinent topics at the Climate Week New York 2024 this week! We have one aimed at drawing in more finance for nature-positive climate action, specifically in EMDEs. Figures show that nature-based solutions have received less than one-third of the required investments despite having environmental, social and economic benefits across the globe. Multiple dialogues take place on reducing CO2 emissions, however do you know that non CO2 gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and flourinated gases trap much more heat within the atmosphere? These overlooked contributors to the exacerbating climatic impacts need to be tackled, and finance needs to also be directed towards non-CO2 GHG emission reduction. We have an exciting panel of seasoned practitioners offering different perspectives on these critical topics. Do join us on the 23rd and 27th of September to find out more! Register here: Nature financing (23rd Sept): https://lnkd.in/df_4marB Beyond carbon (27th Sept): https://lnkd.in/dAcVxNyC

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🌍 While #trust-based philanthropy has gained traction in the West since 2019, it remains largely overlooked in Asia. What might be the reason?    In our joint publication with McKinsey & Company, “Examining Trust and Measurement in Asian Philanthropy”, we dive into the unique dynamics of trust in philanthropy across the Asian landscape.    One potential reason for this is that many Asian foundations have long embraced a more collaborative approach between funders and grantees.     The report highlights that “trust” in the context of philanthropy can be framed beyond the traditional funder-grantee relationship in Asia:    1. Adopt a relational approach  → Asian philanthropists often prefer to partner with organisations they know personally or those connected to key stakeholders. This preference fosters a more engaged and effective partnership.    2. Trust in collaborative processes  → Many Asian funders acknowledge the limits of their expertise and actively seek to co-create interventions and approaches to measure impact with various partners, rather than just provide unrestricted funds.    3. Build trust through transparency   → Trust is cultivated through transparency. In Asia, foundations are increasingly sharing data and insights to enhance accountability and mitigate reputational risks. The broader expectation for transparency influences both grantmaking and impact measurement practices.     Eager to learn more? Download the full report and discover valuable case studies on trust-based philanthropy here: https://lnkd.in/enM2mc-A     #ImpactfulPhilanthropy #AsianPhilanthropy

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Headlines from this morning's breakfast meeting on increasing development finance for clean air, convened by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Clean Air Fund: - clean air is a global public good but severely under-invested in - ⁠health donors are notably absent, especially given the 8m annual deaths - ⁠there are huge economic benefits to reducing air pollution, but they are hard to monetise - ⁠areas of cross over with #ClimateChange, like black carbon reduction, should be prioritised Read our report for more information on the State of Global #AirQuality Funding: https://bit.ly/3NEzj2c

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Proud to share two recent reports I co-authored with my The Bridgespan Group colleagues (Jeff Bradach Denise Chew Julia Finnerty Gwendolyn Lim Roger Thompson Pritha Venkatachalam) with the generous financial support of the Institute of Philanthropy! These reports capture months of research into how institutional philanthropies are evolving their approach to maximize impact, especially in Asia--a region where economic growth and urgent and pressing social and environmental needs exist side by side. To learn more, please join our webinar! https://lnkd.in/gcMXcweB Here's what you'll find in each report: 1️⃣ 𝙇𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨 We identify the 20 largest institutional philanthropies globally and in Asia, peeking under the hood on their priorities and approaches 2️⃣ 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙮: 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 The potential for philanthropy is immense, especially in Asia. This report highlights the five key practices leading philanthropies globally deploy to amplify their impact. 📝 Both reports offer actionable insights and strategies that can be adapted across diverse contexts, especially as philanthropy in Asia reaches a pivotal moment. As we continue to face global challenges, it’s inspiring to see how high-impact philanthropies can enable sustainable, large-scale change. 🔗 Explore the full reports here: Largest Asian and Global Institutional Philanthropies: https://lnkd.in/gqSUpGdk High-Impact Philanthropy: Giving Better Across Asia and the World: https://lnkd.in/gwVRhab2 Would love to hear your thoughts on how we can collectively advance philanthropic impact in today’s rapidly changing landscape! #Philanthropy #SocialImpact #Asia #InstitutionalGiving #BridgespanGroup

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Check out this new consultation paper, which proposes new “Green Accountability” practices that give domestic institutions, local communities, and civil society groups a central role in climate finance disbursement. This would improve transparency, ensure funding responds to needs on the ground, and build trust at all levels of international climate finance.    “There is a huge trust deficit. We urgently need to boost accountability and transparency across climate finance ecosystems to address this imbalance, creating local-led approaches that will mobilise billions of dollars into projects in the Global South and support climate projects across the globe.” — Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Africa Director & Special Advisor of the United Nations High Level Climate Champions Team. #GreenAccountability #ClimateChange #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/ec8Vdjmz  

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What does the Trump victory in the US mean for #climateaction globally? That's up to the rest of us to decide now. My advice: Let's fight even harder, and smarter! In another valuable contribution, Carbon Brief asked scientists. Most call for other countries and non-state actors to step in and step up. And of course they are right. It is easy to despair right now, for scientists and activists (this one included). What makes things particularly difficult is the fact that those most affected are those least #responsible. But giving up is simply not an option. Too much is at stake. For all species. Lets abuse Trump's win to turbocharge #action everywhere else. However: Important now is to REALLY step up the fight - and to realise that more of the same will not get us anywhere near our targets in the time. Particularly with Trump in the white house. One key step-up opportunity is the #border - and with it, a focus on consumption-based emissions. The Trump administration has already announced how they plan to fight with #tariffs. Let's give them that fight by adjusting for GHG. The EU has provided the groundwork with #cbam. Others can and must go further. The right implementation will strengthen developing countries as the pricing of consumption-based emissions by rich importing nations will create the mechanism needed to #finance the global transition. Let's start tomorrow, at #cop29 and everywhere else. #wto #climate #policy #advocacy #borderadjustment #emissionpricing #climateincentive https://lnkd.in/dhzKwEeF

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**New on the Podcast** Policy change and advocacy efforts are some of the key levers to effectively change how systems operate. But how can cross-sector partners within a collective impact initiative work together to co-create a policy agenda that addresses inequities and closes disparities? In this new podcast discussion we explore what it means when a group works together to create and support a policy agenda, including: 🔹 How a policy agenda can drive collaborative action and strategy to support collective impact work 🔹 How it can communicate where a collaborative stands on issues 🔹 What are the challenges in building a collaborative policy agenda (including bringing partners onboard) 🔹 How to approach shifts in the political environment Joining for this discussion to share about their policy efforts and what they have learned through the process of building a policy agenda are Maegan Frierson and Dr. Shayla Young from KConnect. KConnect is a backbone organization that supports a network of public, private, and independent organizations in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ways to listen: Listen on our site or read a full transcript here https://lnkd.in/g_anpDMm or listen on your preferred podcast streaming platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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⭐ STAAR spotlight: Making the case for Climate Finance in Social Protection ➡ Climate finance, especially adaptation finance, has significant potential to fund shock responsive social protection (SRSP) systems, yet faces a series of barriers to doing so. In general, very little climate finance is presently understood to be channeled to the social protection sector. ➡ STAAR consultants Robbie Hopper, Matthew Hurworth and Zac Lowndes-Bull outline the status of international public climate finance going to social protection in STAAR report, ‘Climate Finance and Social Protection: Towards a Stronger Relationship’. ➡ The STAAR team reports that including social protection in climate strategies enhances both adaptation and mitigation efforts as well as that social protection integration into climate strategies is vital for achieving climate justice and transitioning to greener economies. ➡ In an accompanying blog, Zac highlights the importance of embedding social protection as interventions, targets and objectives in climate policies, for providers of climate finance to regard it as a key priority. Findings from the paper and blog were shared by Zac at the Bonn roundtable discussion on climate finance and social protection in early June.   ➡ STAAR Facility has exciting new plans to continue to feed into the future of climate finance and support decision makers through providing recommendations for strengthening the use of climate finance in social protection interventions. 🔗 Read the full report on socialprotection.org: https://lnkd.in/eMQgcnpZ. 🔗 Read the blog on socialprotection.org: https://lnkd.in/e5YpKuuy.  #Socialprotection | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | DAI

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Voluntary carbon markets - a quick refresh 🍸 on why they are so important: 🦖The reality is that public finance and the multilateral system are not delivering the required levels of climate ambition, and more innovative sources of finance are urgently needed. 🦖Due to the high compliance costs involved in deploying large sums of government money, DFIs are structurally unsuited for investing in small projects of $5m and below, and prefer to devote their limited manpower and resources to a few larger projects, rather than many small ones. 🦖Access to VCMs is therefore an important source of financing to help provincial governments in the Global South get small – but potentially high-impact – projects off the ground. 🦖Carbon credits have also begun to feature in novel financing mechanisms that seek to address some of the most complex obstacles to a green transition (e.g. early retirement of coal assets). 🦖Notably, carbon credits originated in the Global South can offer an immense range of co-benefits beyond carbon emissions reductions, due to the Global South's disproportionate vulnerability to climate risks. 🦖One encouraging trend that has emerged despite a broader slump in voluntary carbon credit prices in 2023 was that carbon credits delivering co-benefits have continued to fetch a premium over credits that do not. 🦖This suggests that there is a lot more to be gained by bringing more carbon finance to the Global South! VCMs must be seen as part of any inclusive climate finance architecture. Thank you Peter Cripps for publishing my first article for Environmental Finance 😊 https://lnkd.in/gtcP5tJv

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