Enabling investment for the transition to a low carbon economy: government policy to finance early stage green innovation

Rapid transformation to meet the Paris 1.5oC climate target requires greater attention to be given to the role of innovative low carbon early stage businesses and the public sector’s role in addressing finance gaps for longer horizon investment requirements. As entrepreneurs require different forms of finance as their businesses grow and move up the ‘finance escalator’, we explore the role of public sector support for grant, equity, debt and new forms of crowd funding finance. These funds can enable individual sustainability focussed businesses to access finance and encourage finance into new areas through having a demonstration effect. We conclude that a finance ecosystem approach is required that ensures complementary forms of finance for low carbon investment are connected at local, national and international scales, alongside support to build entrepreneurial skills and investment readiness. There is also a need for better evidence of the role of public sector support and where there is greatest impact on climate change

Irrigation subsidy policy in Chile : lessons from the allocation, uneven distribution and water resources implications

Globally irrigation subsidies are utilized to boost modernization and increase irrigation efficiency. This paper examines the effects of the irrigation subsidy programme in Chile by reviewing 32 years of allocations and exploring the drivers and consequences of the subsidy programme with a clear market approach based on competition and a state risk-free strategy. Our analysis reveals that, despite the flexibility in targeting, the results indicate an uneven allocation to smallholders' detriment, a state inability to identify farmers' needs, market concentration and a bias towards agricultural expansion. As long as the programme remains unaltered, it will threaten agriculture and water resources' sustainability.Globally irrigation subsidies are utilized to boost modernization and increase irrigation efficiency. This paper examines the effects of the irrigation subsidy programme in Chile by reviewing 32 years of allocations and exploring the drivers and consequences of the subsidy programme with a clear market approach based on competition and a state risk-free strategy. Our analysis reveals that, despite the flexibility in targeting, the results indicate an uneven allocation to smallholders' detriment, a state inability to identify farmers' needs, market concentration and a bias towards agricultural expansion. As long as the programme remains unaltered, it will threaten agriculture and water resources' sustainability.A

Biophilic institutions and governance : biophilic urbanism initiatives (BUIs) fostering green urban features in emerging and developing cities

One of the goals promoted by the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ is to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, responding to the challenges that cities face today, including the increase of urban temperature because of climate change effects, and the deficit of urban green spaces. Within this context, green urbanism aims to create more sustainable cities in terms of greenness, compactness, energy efficiency, zero emissions, and waste production, having as a result sustainable places, communities, and lifestyles. The approach arises to address some of the challenges mentioned above, through seven features expressed in emerging archetypal cities, where the ‘biophilic city’ is one of them. Biophilic cities are the materialization of the biophilic urbanism approach, which pursues the strategic integration of nature in cities through planning and design to achieve more livable cities in terms of the well-being and health of their inhabitants, as well as the creation of resilient urban environments. Firstly, this research compiled initiatives performed under the biophilic urbanism, defined here as biophilic urbanism initiatives (BUIs), where the main differences in its implementation can be traced back to income differences between countries. Secondly, it presents opportunities, as well as challenges for greening emerging and developing cities, based on one of the five categories of indicators associated with biophilic cities, ‘biophilic institutions and governance.’ The indicators comprising this group aim to describe the extent to which local governments are involved in encouraging green features and biophilic design. Finally, this research draws contributions already implemented by a group of Latin American cities located in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. One of our main findings is that these initiatives have not yet been widely implemented in emerging and developing countries, compared with advanced economies, such as the USA, Germany, and Singapore, among others.One of the goals promoted by the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ is to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, responding to the challenges that cities face today, including the increase of urban temperature because of climate change effects, and the deficit of urban green spaces. Within this context, green urbanism aims to create more sustainable cities in terms of greenness, compactness, energy efficiency, zero emissions, and waste production, having as a result sustainable places, communities, and lifestyles. The approach arises to address some of the challenges mentioned above, through seven features expressed in emerging archetypal cities, where the ‘biophilic city’ is one of them. Biophilic cities are the materialization of the biophilic urbanism approach, which pursues the strategic integration of nature in cities through planning and design to achieve more livable cities in terms of the well-being and health of their inhabitants, as well as the creation of resilient urban environments. Firstly, this research compiled initiatives performed under the biophilic urbanism, defined here as biophilic urbanism initiatives (BUIs), where the main differences in its implementation can be traced back to income differences between countries. Secondly, it presents opportunities, as well as challenges for greening emerging and developing cities, based on one of the five categories of indicators associated with biophilic cities, ‘biophilic institutions and governance.’ The indicators comprising this group aim to describe the extent to which local governments are involved in encouraging green features and biophilic design. Finally, this research draws contributions already implemented by a group of Latin American cities located in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. One of our main findings is that these initiatives have not yet been widely implemented in emerging and developing countries, compared with advanced economies, such as the USA, Germany, and Singapore, among others.B