Decarbonizing the Belt and Road

Decarbonizing the Belt and Road: A Green Finance Roadmap is the first quantitative study of potential carbon scenarios across the 126 countries involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, currently accounting for almost a quarter of the global GDP. It models three potential carbon emissions scenarios – worst in class, business as usual, and best in class – for 17 key BRI countries and provides the following five-point green finance roadmap.

Report Recommendations:

• Belt and Road Country Capabilities: Establish an international platform, possibly hosted by the UN, to support the intensive development of green finance across B&R countries.
• China Action on Outward Investments: Extend China’s green requirements to its investment in the Belt and Road Initiative.
• International Green Investment: Promote the adoption of green investment principles by global investors.
• Carbon Transparency: Improve disclosure of the climate impact of these projects.
• International Climate Coalition: Build a coalition of international, regional and bilateral agencies to more effectively advance low carbon and climate-resilient investments in B&R countries.

This report is a collaboration between the Tsinghua University Center for Finance and Development, Vivid Economics, and the Climateworks Foundation.