Climate change presents a major threat to long-term growth and prosperity, and has a direct impact on the economic wellbeing of all countries. The IMF has an important role to play in helping its members institute fiscal and macroeconomic policies to help address these climate-related challenges. We are mainstreaming climate-related risks and opportunities into our macroeconomic and financial policy advice. Climate considerations are now embedded in our bilateral and multilateral surveillance, capacity development, and lending. We also increasingly collaborate with other organizations on climate issues.
Through our analytical work we have examined policy issues such as an international carbon price floor, the transition to a green economy, border carbon adjustments, scaling up private climate finance in emerging market and developing economies, strengthening climate information architecture, fiscal policies to support adaptation, and green public investment and public financial management.
Delivering on global climate goals requires a shift to renewable energy and other green technologies. The main challenge for developing economies is securing funding for this transition. With limited fiscal space and low financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI) and official lending are crucial. This high-level panel discussed market reforms and financial sector policies to attract official financing, the impact of climate policies on FDI in low-carbon technologies, and the conditions needed to attract it.
Sleepwalking to a Cliff Edge: A Wake-Up Call for Global Climate Action
Policies to Foster Green FDI: Best Practices for Emerging Market and Developing Economies
Destination Net Zero: The Urgent Need for a Global Carbon Tax on Aviation and Shipping
Focus Area: Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Staff Climate Notes
IMF Climate Change Strategy
Closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math would accelerate the green transition while making it more inclusive
Easing the burden on lower-income households is not only socially fair, but also economically efficient
New books offer fresh perspectives on climate, China, and John Maynard Keynes
Data Gaps Initiative helps policymakers better understand the environmental impact of economic activities and the effectiveness of climate policies
Our biggest challenges—from global warming to demographic and technological transformations—cannot be resolved by countries acting alone.
Meeting the continent’s emission reduction targets could enhance energy security metrics by 8 percent by 2030—and that would be just the start
This paper reviews the main types of credit enhancement approaches used to support climate debt issuances by EMDE borrowers. Fragmentation on the part of the providers of credit enhancements was identified as a major factor impeding scalability of credit-enhanced debt. The acceptance of credit-enhanced debt is also hampered by the structural characteristics of the capital markets, especially the fragmentation of the investor base. To place significant amounts of credit-enhanced climate debt with private sector investors, MDBs, DFIs, and other stakeholders should focus on simple and replicable debt structures. Securitizations and investment funds could help fund private sector climate investments in EMDEs.
An IMF team found that the State of Odisha had an overall public investment management (PIM) system that compared well with other emerging market economies, reflecting in particular strong institutions at the execution stage, which have helped the State increase significantly its public investment effort over the last few years. The State also displays some encouraging practices in terms of climate-sensitive PIM. However, several challenges persist and have to do mostly with the first stage (planning, appraisal) and the second stage (maintenance, selection of projects) of the PIM cycle. The team has identified five high-priority recommendations that could improve PIM processes and support the effective implementation of the Government of Odisha’s investment policy and development agenda, including to increase resilience against climate change.
An IMF team conducted a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA) in Togo. The analysis identified emerging good practices for an effective management of public investment from a climate perspective, but also identified weaknesses throughout the public investment cycle that affect efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure delivery in the face of climate change related challenges. The mission team identified seven high priority recommendations to improve public investment management from a climate change perspective.
An IMF Team assessed the green public financial management (PFM) practices, drawing on the IMF’s Green PFM framework, and conducted a Climate Module of the Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA) in the Maldives. It identified strengths related to the recent public investment management (PIM) reforms, but also several remaining priorities along the budget and investment cycle in the Maldives that affect the efficiency, and its capacity to respond to climate change-related challenges. The mission team makes six priority recommendations in integrating climate change considerations in PFM and PIM practices, prioritized based on the country's capacity, financial resources, and ongoing reform initiatives.
An IMF team conducted a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment in Papua New Guinea. This analysis identified some emerging areas of effectiveness related to management of public investment from a climate perspective, but also identified many key weaknesses throughout the public investment cycle that affect efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure delivery in the face of climate change related challenges. The mission team identified three urgent priority and eight high priority recommendations to improve public investment management from a climate change perspective.
In order to improve the efficiency of their capital investment and improve the access of the population to high-quality infrastructure, the Finance Ministry and the Planning general secretariate SEGEPLAN requested an IMF mission to apply: (i) the public investment management assessment (PIMA) methodology, developed by the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), to identify strengths and weaknesses in Guatemala’s public investment management and (ii) the Climate PIMA (C-PIMA) module to ensure climate change mitigation and adaptation are appropriately addressed in the public investment cycle. The mission proposed an action plan to improve public investment management.
This paper reviews the main types of credit enhancement approaches used to support climate debt issuances by EMDE borrowers. Fragmentation on the part of the providers of credit enhancements was identified as a major factor impeding scalability of credit-enhanced debt. The acceptance of credit-enhanced debt is also hampered by the structural characteristics of the capital markets, especially the fragmentation of the investor base. To place significant amounts of credit-enhanced climate debt with private sector investors, MDBs, DFIs, and other stakeholders should focus on simple and replicable debt structures. Securitizations and investment funds could help fund private sector climate investments in EMDEs.
An IMF team found that the State of Odisha had an overall public investment management (PIM) system that compared well with other emerging market economies, reflecting in particular strong institutions at the execution stage, which have helped the State increase significantly its public investment effort over the last few years. The State also displays some encouraging practices in terms of climate-sensitive PIM. However, several challenges persist and have to do mostly with the first stage (planning, appraisal) and the second stage (maintenance, selection of projects) of the PIM cycle. The team has identified five high-priority recommendations that could improve PIM processes and support the effective implementation of the Government of Odisha’s investment policy and development agenda, including to increase resilience against climate change.
An IMF team conducted a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA) in Togo. The analysis identified emerging good practices for an effective management of public investment from a climate perspective, but also identified weaknesses throughout the public investment cycle that affect efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure delivery in the face of climate change related challenges. The mission team identified seven high priority recommendations to improve public investment management from a climate change perspective.
An IMF Team assessed the green public financial management (PFM) practices, drawing on the IMF’s Green PFM framework, and conducted a Climate Module of the Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA) in the Maldives. It identified strengths related to the recent public investment management (PIM) reforms, but also several remaining priorities along the budget and investment cycle in the Maldives that affect the efficiency, and its capacity to respond to climate change-related challenges. The mission team makes six priority recommendations in integrating climate change considerations in PFM and PIM practices, prioritized based on the country's capacity, financial resources, and ongoing reform initiatives.
An IMF team conducted a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment in Papua New Guinea. This analysis identified some emerging areas of effectiveness related to management of public investment from a climate perspective, but also identified many key weaknesses throughout the public investment cycle that affect efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure delivery in the face of climate change related challenges. The mission team identified three urgent priority and eight high priority recommendations to improve public investment management from a climate change perspective.
In order to improve the efficiency of their capital investment and improve the access of the population to high-quality infrastructure, the Finance Ministry and the Planning general secretariate SEGEPLAN requested an IMF mission to apply: (i) the public investment management assessment (PIMA) methodology, developed by the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), to identify strengths and weaknesses in Guatemala’s public investment management and (ii) the Climate PIMA (C-PIMA) module to ensure climate change mitigation and adaptation are appropriately addressed in the public investment cycle. The mission proposed an action plan to improve public investment management.
Article IV consultations will cover macro-critical issues triggered by climate change and/or the need to contain it. These include countries’ contributions to the global mitigation effort, especially by large emitters; domestic policy challenges that arise in the context of achieving countries’ nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement; macroeconomic policies to adapt to and build resilience to climate change; and challenges presented by a global transition to low-carbon energy.
Financial Stability Assessment Program (FSAP)
FSAPs are paying increasing attention to climate risk analysis for the financial system. Recent FSAPs have looked at the implications of transition risk in Norway, South Africa, Chile, Colombia and the UK, and physical risk in the Philippines. Where relevant, climate risk considerations are also being embedded in FSAP reviews of financial supervision and regulation.
The IMF already supports member countries through capacity development in countries vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters.
Adaptation
Guidance on building financial and institutional resilience to natural disasters and extreme weather events, and infrastructure investments to cope with rising sea levels and other warming-related phenomena.
Mitigation
Advice on measures to contain and reduce emissions through policies—such as increasing carbon taxes, reducing fuel subsidies and improving regulation—and providing tools to help countries achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions.
Transition to a low-carbon economy
Advice on measures to contain and reduce emissions through policies—such as increasing carbon taxes, reducing fuel subsidies and improving regulation—and providing tools to help countries achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions.
Data
The IMF's Climate Change Indicators Dashboard provides a platform for disseminating climate change data for macroeconomic and financial stability analysis. The dashboard helps users assess the linkage between economic and financial activities and government policies on the one hand, and climate change (and environment more broadly) on the other—either on a country-level or cross-country basis—by analyzing a standardized set of comparable data.
The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) helps low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries build resilience to external shocks and ensure sustainable growth, contributing to their longer-term balance of payments stability. It complements the IMF’s existing lending toolkit by providing longer-term, affordable financing to address longer-term challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness.
Panelists discuss how to enhance partnerships and cooperation to scale up adaptation financing for EMDEs and explore the role various stakeholders play in n attracting private capital for adaptation investments.
anelists discuss how specific countries benefited from the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) and the lessons learned in the process.
This session assesses the question: Is the world on track to net zero? Building on updated IMF research, it will explore how to equitably close the global gap in climate ambition to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.
Delivering on global climate goals requires a shift to renewable energy and other green technologies. The main challenge for developing economies is securing funding for this transition. With limited fiscal space and low financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI) and official lending are crucial.
The world is sitting on a razor's edge, and the deciding factor between future prosperity and potential runaway climate disaster is a single number-- 1.5.
To hit net zero by 2050, emerging and developing countries will need substantial amounts of additional renewable energy investment--because domestic financial resources are limited, foreign direct investment, or FDI, is key.
