Discussions on how to mitigate climate change and alleviate poverty have moved from wholehearted but small activist groups to mainstream circles. And private sector capital is increasingly flocking to the causes – not just as a charitable move, as profits are deemed to be important.
Last December, in an unprecedented deal, 195 governments reached an agreement on global warming during the Conference of Parties in Paris; meanwhile the value of green bonds globally has reached a record $70bn and rising. Talk is being increasingly followed by investment in other areas too. The most optimistic estimate, by the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance’s 2014 review, has the total of funds invested in social and environmental ventures around the world in 2014 to be $21,400bn – about 27% of global gross domestic product that year.