K6ET 2160 - Urban Climate Finance: Initial Notions and Practice of Local Climate Investment

Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges of our time. While its consequences will put lives, livelihoods, and economic growth at risk, there is more to the issue than meets the eye. Cities play a key role in the climate emergency, as 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from cities, and they are already experiencing the effects of climate change – 90% of cities are at risk of flooding from sea-level rise and storms due to their coastal locations. The transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy is one of the biggest challenges humanity faces, and cities must be at the forefront of it.

This course will focus on (1) providing an overall view of climate finance and urban climate basic notions; (2) doing a deep dive into municipal finance and public and private financial instruments available; (3) presenting case studies on how to fund climate projects at the city level.

The total grade will be divided into three components:

• 40%: Presentation
• 10%: Participation (engagement and contribution to discussions)
• 50%: Final paper

Final Paper: Students will select a city and develop a case study addressing the following question: What financial instruments are available for this city to access urban climate finance? They will analyze a new urban climate infrastructure project aimed at enhancing the city's climate resilience and outline a financing strategy, including partners, instruments, and other relevant elements, for its implementation.