De-risking Urban Climate Finance to Catalyze the Energy Transition
Cities, at the forefront of climate change risk, should play a larger leading role in the energy transition. However, limited access to funding remains a major barrier preventing local governments and utilities in the global South from accelerating investments in decarbonization and climate adaptation. Innovative financing strategies and risk mitigation tools can expand funding options and catalyze investment in key areas such as the energy transition (clean energy deployment, grid infrastructure), transportation decarbonization (electric mobility, sustainable transport), and urban adaptation (extreme heat mitigation, water distribution, energy efficiency, etc.). Research into a proposed Green Cities Guarantee Fund (GCGF) aims to provide evidence that extending guarantees to cities can increase investment in local climate action by de-risking the energy transition in strategic but underserved markets in the global South. The project will model three distinct use cases for applying guarantees to finance infrastructure investments in priority sectors, developing preparatory scenarios to support pilot planning and implementation.
Eugenie Birch
Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and EducationEugénie L. Birch is co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education, and chair of the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning.
William Burke-White
Professor of Law, Carey Law SchoolWilliam Burke-White is Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Burke-White, an international lawyer and political scientist, is a leading expert on U.S. foreign policy, multilateral institutions, and international law.
Delfina Vildosola
Research Associate, Penn Institute for Urban ResearchDelfina Vildosola is a Program Associate with the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance. She has an extensive background working with the public sector and NGOs, focusing on project implementation and regulatory monitoring around environmental issues, transparency, and open government.
