Conservation Finance Network

Green bond investors, celebrating a landmark step toward establishing market standards, are starting to worry that the next big thing in sustainable finance could undermine those efforts.

Mayor Byron W. Brown announced during his 14th State of the City address that Buffalo will launch the largest environmental impact bond in the country at $30 million. The funds from this investment will allow the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Sewer Authority to capitalize on the Rain Check Buffalo program.

Private equity firm Ecosystem Investment Partners has been helping investors profit off of ecological restoration and conservation projects since 2007. EIP has raised nearly $1 billion from investors through three institutional funds, including $454.5 million for its latest fund, Ecosystem Investment Partners IV.

Mainstream green finance initiatives conceptualize environmental funding gaps as examples of market failures. Nature- and climate-related risks are perceived as underpriced in financial markets, resulting in negative externalities borne by society and the natural world.

"It didn't surprise me that interest in last month's Chesapeake

The practice of raising and managing capital to support land, water, and natural resource conservation.

Intensive course was robust. The event brought together land trust staff and partners from across the watershed with a faculty of national and regional experts to discuss forest carbon offsets, revolving water funds, voluntary surcharges, state revolving funds, pay-for-success outcomes-based contracting and financing and more."

Mirova's Natural Capital Platform is looking to generate attractive returns and positive impact from investments in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and conservation. CEO Philippe Zaouati spoke to Environmental Finance.

"In the second half of 2019 Nori launched its marketplace and completed the Techstars Sustainability program. As well as delivering on their milestones, the company closed (and oversubscribed) their $1.3M pre-seed round in December."