By Maureen Heydt From October 11-15, 2021, China will host the first phase of the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity, Conference of the Parties (CBD COP15), a major global summit on biodiversity. Signed by 150 government leaders and entered into force on December 29, 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable […]
China’s overseas development finance has funneled nearly half a trillion dollars to developing countries since 2008. This stepwise increase in available development finance has the potential to make a much-needed dent in the infrastructure gaps developing countries face, estimated at more than $3 trillion per year. Given the impressive scale of this new source of […]
By Cecilia Han Springer Although it is a massive infrastructure and connectivity program at the global scale, China’s Belt and Road Initiative does not reach all host countries equally. Regional patterns in concentration and type of projects mean that these host countries will experience the benefits – and impacts – of China’s outward investment differently. […]
In the lead-up to the first Belt and Road forum in May 2017, China published three official documents emphasizing that its investment projects will be used to promote the Paris Climate Agreement and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and are motivated by the need to “share the ecological civilization philosophy and achieve sustainable development.” Despite what […]
By Rebecca Ray After eight years of existence, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought significant economic gains to countries around the world by facilitating new investment, linking infrastructure networks and facilitating international trade. In parallel to this growth, China has been developing an environmental management framework to govern outbound investment and finance. To […]
Since its inception eight years ago, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has led to more than 200 cooperation documents with 140 countries and 31 international organizations. Behind the scenes, Chinese policymakers have been developing an environmental management framework to govern their outbound investment and finance to “green” the BRI and help countries achieve the […]
By Katie Gallogly-Swan On Thursday, July 15, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) hosted a webinar discussion to explore the recently announced “Build Back Better World’” (B3W) Partnership from the G7, billed as a “Green Marshall Plan” to generate improved access to financing […]
Faced with pressure to deliver economic development, improve access to electricity, enhance energy supply security while simultaneously addressing the growing concerns about climate risks and impacts, many countries around the world have turned to hydropower in recent years. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world has added more than 530 GW of newly […]
By Bridgette Lang Though 2020 was a year of economic contraction around the world, it was also a year of continued growth and enlargement for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Latin America. Additionally, the Chinese share of regional exports grew, as did China’s energy sector involvement […]
China’s ongoing commitment to overseas infrastructure investment through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has ignited concern over environmental impacts. The BRI’s environmental impacts will be determined by China’s decisions not only on what kinds of projects to fund, but also how those projects end up operating relative to projects without Chinese involvement. It is […]