Policy Alignment for Mobilising Low-carbon Investment

Although countries have invested their considerable internal funds in the development of technologies, policies and incentives are not enough to shift from high-energy intensity technologies to low-carbon technologies. The opportunities for low-carbon investment in the long term have not been clearly addressed and recognised. Such opportunities have not been successfully pinpointed, and environmental efforts expected to be necessary over the long term are insufficient at present.

There are several ways to increase the competitiveness of low-carbon technologies in a market through incentives apart from subsidies and funds in the initial stage of technology deployment and through system reforms. In terms of incentives, carbon pricing is one of them. Carbon pricing such as carbon tax could stimulate demands for energy efficiency technologies, and create new market for renewable energy. Another type of incentive is information disclosure about carbon risk of investment portfolios.

However, to implement such policy, public understanding and acceptance as well as policy coordination across different policy areas are necessary. Moreover, to expand a market for low-carbon technologies such as renewable energy, there needs to be a review of the existing infrastructure arrangements and the electricity system.

This session looks at what the effective mechanisms are to create a market for low-carbon technology investments, how to create momentum to increase public understanding and acceptance of carbon pricing, how to align different policy areas to implement the proposed actions, and what infrastructural arrangements can be made to promote renewable energy.

• Downloads
• Speakers and Presentation Materials
• Discussion Paper: Steering global investment to be consistent with the vision of the Paris Agreement(334KB)
• Discussion Paper: Carbon pricing: a key instrument to facilitate low carbon transition(273KB)