Financing Climate and Nature Together: AIIB’s Climate Strategy in Brazil and Beyond

Financing Climate and Nature Together: AIIB’s Climate Strategy in Brazil and Beyond

Author: Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative January 7, 2026 Duration: 49:29
In this episode of Climate Rising, Erik Berglöf, Chief Economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), shares how this relatively young multilateral development bank is helping emerging economies finance climate and nature-based solutions. Erik discusses AIIB’s approach to climate policy—including infrastructure decarbonization, green finance, and biodiversity credits—and offers a behind-the-scenes look at its work with Brazil, including its $1B climate policy loan and support for the landmark Tropical Forest Forever Facility. Erik explains the importance of integrating nature and climate in development finance, the need for finance ministries to lead coordination, and how countries like Brazil are using platforms like Eco Invest to blend public and private capital for nature and resilience projects. This episode is part of our Global South series, which also includes episodes with JSW Steel, Tata Power from India and re.green, a carbon offsetting platform from Brazil. Visit climaterising.org for more.

Hosted by the Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative, Climate Rising moves beyond abstract warnings to examine the concrete realities facing companies today. Each episode features candid conversations with senior executives, policymakers, and HBS faculty, dissecting the operational and strategic choices that define a business's relationship to a warming planet. You’ll hear how leaders are navigating pressures from investors, customers, and regulators while making pivotal decisions on everything from supply chain logistics and new technology investments to long-term risk assessment and competitive positioning. This isn't a theoretical discussion; it's a ground-level look at the practical dilemmas and innovations shaping industries. The podcast delves into the nuanced trade-offs managers face, turning climate change from a looming threat into a series of actionable, if complex, business problems. For anyone curious about how the private sector is actually responding-the successes, the stalled efforts, and the evolving playbooks-this series offers an essential and sobering dialogue. Tune in for a direct line to the thinking that is quietly redrawing the corporate map.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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