Financing the Future: Reporting on Financial Instruments to Protect Coastal Communities

Marine and coastal ecosystems provide extremely valuable ecosystem services to coastal communities, services that are increasingly under threat as climate change accelerates impacts like sea level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion.

At the same time, many communities in low- and middle-income countries, and particularly small island states around the world, lack the financial resources to take action and protect their homes against this growing, urgent threat. Without clear financial instruments to boost resilience and fund needed adaptation initiatives for coastal communities, these valuable marine and coastal resources may be lost forever, leaving people with no choice but to leave their homes.

Yet there are innovative financial instruments in development and already in use around the world designed to lighten the burden on coastal communities and provide a path forward toward resilience. These instruments include things like debt-for-nature swaps, environmental impact bonds, insurance schemes and more.

In this webinar, finance experts and a veteran journalist discussed the current state of financing, innovative instruments that could better support communities and tips for reporters on covering this complex topic.

Speakers:

• Yabanex Batista — Deputy Head at the UN Global Fund for Coral Reefs
• Peter Kristensen — Lead Environmental Specialist at World Bank and Madji Seck — Senior Partnership Specialist at World Bank Environment - Natural Resources and Blue Economy for Africa 
• Megan Rowling — Just Transition Editor at Thomson Reuters Foundation

Moderator:

• Lucienne Noel — Thematic Expert for Coastal Resilience at Internews' Earth Journalism Network

Please click on the speakers' names to download their presentations.