The Potentials for Debt-for-Climate and Nature Swaps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Working Paper 2025

United Nations 3 months ago

Debt-for-climate and nature swaps (DFCNS) provide partial debt relief in exchange for commitments to invest in climate action and nature conservation. First used in the 1980s, they have gained renewed momentum in recent years, particularly in Latin America with countries such as Belize, Ecuador, Barbados, and Peru implementing increasingly large and complex deals. These swaps have reduced debt servicing costs and unlocked funding for climate projects. Constrained fiscal space make DFCNS an attractive option for many countries. LAC countries’ experience with swap mechanisms and their shared, biodiverse ecosystems further support this approach. The paper emphasizes the need for a coordinated strategies, recommending the creation of a knowledge centre, identification of shared climate and nature priorities, exploration of multi-country debt pooling, and consideration of a regional fund to enhance the effectiveness and scale of DFCNS.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 hour ago



The construction sector stands at a turning point as research highlights rapid progress towards sustainable construction and clean electrification. The transition reflects a broader movement to cut the carbon footprint of construction through strategies rooted in whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment, and low carbon design. Businesses increasingly pursue net zero whole life carbon and net zero carbon buildings, driving demand for energy-efficient buildings and sustainable building design that integrates eco-design for buildings and BREEAM standards to measure environmental sustainability in construction.

Investment in technology aligns strongly with the circular economy in construction, where low embodied carbon materials and renewable building materials are key to reducing embodied carbon in materials. Yet the sector faces a critical skills shortage that risks slowing deployment. Reports indicate Europe needs millions of additional trained workers to enable large-scale renovation and delivery of low carbon buildings compliant with sustainable building practices and green infrastructure goals.

The UK offshore wind and renewable energy supply chains are vital to powering this transformation, fostering carbon neutral construction and supporting circular construction strategies that extend end-of-life reuse in construction. These trends demand that policymakers and industry leaders embed life cycle cost analysis and whole life carbon evaluation into every stage of eco-friendly construction.

Robust training frameworks and sustainable material specification are essential to achieving measurable decarbonisation and advancing the circular economy while strengthening building lifecycle performance. The evidence signals an industry equipped with technology and capital yet constrained by human capacity; only strategic upskilling will ensure the future of green construction delivers on sustainability commitments across global urban development.

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