International climate talks in Paris set an ambitious goal: limiting global warming to 2°C by 2100. Reaching that goal will require investing an additional $1 trillion per year until 2050 in clean energy and other sustainability projects. But current investment levels are still far below that target level, which was also the overarching concern in very recent UNFCCC Cop23 (“World climate conference”) talks in Bonn. As the public sector is struggling to advance the financing the pressure on the private sector is increasing as discussions in Bonn showed.

In the hope of finding ways to accelerate investment, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) joined forces with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to create a fact base for business leaders and investors. What types of projects are succeeding? What financing options are available? And how does the investment community think about sustainability investing?