Trillions of dollars in investment will be required to transition the global economy to net zero emissions and avert a climate catastrophe. This represents a massive opportunity for capital providers. However, many of the investments needed are large and risky, especially in emissions-intensive heavy industrial and mobility sectors. In order for the transition to be successful, finance, industry and the public sector must work together to lay the foundations of a new multi-stakeholder financing ecosystem. Recognizing the emerging need for cross-industry collaboration, the Forum launched the Financing the Transition to a Net Zero Future initiative in June 2020. To date, this initiative has engaged 30+ financial institutions as well as stakeholders from the public sector to explore innovative financing solutions and accelerate progress towards decarbonization.

As one of the projects of the platform for Shaping the Future of Financial and Monetary Systems and in coordination with the Mission Possible Platform, the initiative brings together industry experts from high-emitting sectors such as steel, aviation, shipping, chemicals and trucking to deep-dive on practical solutions for each sector. In addition to the industry deep-dives, the initiative engages with financial institutions to explore thematic issues related to de-risking mechanisms and blended finance.

Project members are invited to interact through digital meetings, while the initiative will also leverage global events such as the Davos Agenda Week, the Industry Strategy Meeting, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and other events organized by the IMF/World Bank, trade associations and others.

The objective is to deliver sector-specific blueprints to mobilize transition finance in carbon-intensive sectors while also contributing to the creation of an overarching transition finance ecosystem.

For more information, please contact Derek Baraldi (Derek.Baraldi@weforum.org).