E Co. bites | Series 4
Welcome to our 4th series of E Co. bites! We share short and easily digestible climate finance explainers, technical lessons, and more about us, our work, and how you can support our mission.
Our Senior consultant, Clare delves into the multifaceted barriers that hinder climate action and how effective our programme and project design service can drive systemic transformation. She explains how national governments need to integrate nature-based solutions into policies, build capacity, and roll out technical expertise at local levels.
Watch Clare share these insights below 👇
TRANSCRIPT
Climate change can be a very challenging problem to understand, often having multiple intertwining barriers that threaten the long-term growth and development of a country.
Designing an effective climate change project or programme requires us to really get to the bottom of these problems and understand how they influence one another; that could be in relation to the regulatory and policy environment, institutional capacity, technical knowledge or the way the market works in a particular country or sector.
If we take an example of say a project that is trying to mainstream nature-based solutions in a country, part of the solution requires national governments to integrate nature-based solutions into policies and plans across sectors. This gives direction. In order to do this, national governments need to build their institutional capacity and understanding of what nature-based solutions are and how they can help tackle climate change. This requires training.
On top of that, this capacity then needs to be rolled out at a more local level, enabling local governments and agencies to integrate these measures into local plans. Technical expertise needs to be strengthened so that experts have the skills to roll out the interventions – these need to be suitable to the local environment and take into consideration the locals needs and vulnerabilities.
Finally, we need to think about how this will be financed. What needs to be done to incentivise long-term investment and shift the ways things are done, so that these barriers don’t pop back up again? This could be de-risking investments to bring in more private-sector financing or considering the use of carbon markets to attract investors.
Ultimately, understanding all these different elements and designing integrated solutions to meet them is what drives systemic transformation.
About E Co.
We are E Co. We are a diverse and global team driven to build a sustainable future. For over 25 years, we’ve been supporting and guiding our clients to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient development. We specialise in helping our clients lay foundations for transformative change, ensuring climate finance achieves its greatest impact.
We’ve mobilised over USD 5.9 billion from major climate funds with a 100% project approval rate. We work with global funds, UN agencies, national governments, development agencies, development finance, not for profits, businesses and investors. Clients include UNDP, IUCN, EBRD, FCDO, The World Bank, GCF, NEFCO, IIED, The Lightsmith Group.
We’ve worked on over 540 assignments in over 180 countries. Our clients span the public and private sectors, from international agencies and NGOs to governments, financial institutions, and global funds. We partner with them to turn ambitious climate goals into concrete action and lasting impact.
Across 17 sectors and seven services, we offer end-to-end support, from assessing market opportunities and formulating impactful strategies to designing and evaluating transformative programmes and projects. We empower clients to access and manage climate funds, develop effective policies, and build capacity for long-term individual and institutional success.
With deep expertise in climate finance and systemic transformation, we bring a nuanced understanding of sectors, cultures, and contexts. We lower risk, increase predictability, and design for impact, ensuring your investments create lasting, positive change.
E Co. is your trusted partner in navigating the complexities of climate finance and sustainable development, and together, we will make an impact.