Introduction to the Handbook of International Climate Finance: is climate finance a meteoric fashion or a stable pillar of the global response to anthropogenic climate change?

Abstract

The concept of international climate finance channelled from developed to developing countries has been developed over the last decade, but its roots date back to the early 1990s. Despite the high relevance of the topic in the international climate negotiations, illustrated by the (missed) target to mobilise USD 100 billion by 2020, there is no book that provide an overview accessible to practitioners and the interested public alike. The Handbook of International Climate Finance closes this gap by bringing together experts and practitioners who have been working on international climate finance, looking how the international community can learn from the past to achieve a brighter future. On the basis of the definition of international climate finance as transboundary flows of finance triggered by public interventions for mitigation and adaptation, our contributors assess past approaches to international climate finance like fast start finance, discuss effectiveness of different channels for climate finance like the Green Climate Fund, debate challenges encountered and elucidate national strategies of donors and recipients, such as Switzerland and Rwanda. The role of different interest groups is discussed throughout chapters. An important section of the Handbook elaborates perspectives for international climate finance through multilateral channels, from the private sector, and blending of different sources of finance, including international carbon markets.