Eco-Financing for Low-Carbon Buildings and Cities : Value and Limits

Building owners and governments face constraints in financing the transformation and development of low-carbon buildings and cities. Banks and other finance providers are often risk-averse and unwilling to provide funds for such development and transformation. For some time now, governments and non-governmental organisations have experimented with novel forms of financing for low-carbon developments and transformations - often referred to as ‘eco-financing'. This article studies six such governance instruments from Australia, the Netherlands and the United States to better understand their value and limits