JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance

Sustainable finance continues to evolve, consolidating its evidence base while expanding into emerging areas of analysis. In a context of rapid global change, sustainability is increasingly recognised as an important component of long-term competitiveness.

Effective international coordination remains necessary to promote regulatory coherence, mobilise investment to address the transition gap in both developed and emerging economies, and support alignment of financial flows with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.Monitoring capital flows and assessing the sustainability performance of financial instruments are essential to enhance market transparency and mitigate greenwashing risks.

Beyond climate-related risks, growing attention is being paid to nature finance. Biodiversity loss and environmental degradation represent significant sources of financial risk and require strengthened efforts to mobilise investment in the protection of natural capital.

At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence and digital finance are expanding analytical capacities, improving the use of sustainability data, and supporting informed decision-making.

The 8th JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss recent developments, promote policy-relevant research, and contribute to evidence-based policymaking.

Sustainable finance is at a pivotal moment, requiring both knowledge consolidation and the exploration of emerging topics to ensure long-term success.

A key priority is enhancing competitiveness in energy and energy-intensive sectors to support the green transition. Innovation must be urgently financed through capital markets, ensuring sustainability remains central.

Sustainability disclosures and transparency are gaining importance, with growing attention to their impact on financing conditions, asset performance, and materiality assessment. Beyond climate, the financial consequences of biodiversity loss and environmental risks are becoming more evident for financial stability and investment strategies.

AI and digital technologies offer new opportunities to leverage climate and sustainability data, improving decision-making and policy development.

The 7th JRC Summer School brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to address these critical issues, fostering policy-relevant research and reinforcing the role of science in informed policymaking.

As climate policy and financial risk analysis evolve, experts are broadening their focus to include environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the role of digital technologies in sustainability.

Despite geopolitical and economic disruptions, digital tools offer immense potential for the green transition, particularly in emerging economies. However, there is a growing need for risk assessment tools, such as stress tests that account for value chains, macro-financial feedback loops, and secondary effects. Moreover, social and governance factors remain insufficiently integrated into financial decision-making.

The 6th JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to address these challenges, fostering policy-relevant research and reinforcing the role of scientific advice in policymaking.

As climate change concerns grow, policymakers are acting faster. However, experts believe we're still unprepared for the most significant risks, like natural disasters and extreme weather.

These challenges can either hinder or speed up the critical Green transition. Geopolitical crises and energy supply issues present both obstacles and opportunities for a sustainable economy. Additionally, digital technologies open new doors for sustainable finance. Emerging and developing economies can also benefit from increased sustainable financing, even with limited resources and infrastructure. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for tools to assess risks and their impacts.

The 5th JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance united researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the latest advances in the field. This event has allowed all stakeholders to address industry challenges and create policy-relevant research. Simultaneously, it has also offered independent scientific advice for policy, emphasizing the importance of research in guiding policy decisions.

Should you wish to receive information on the next edition of the JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance, please contact us atJRC-FINANCEec [dot] europa [dot] eu ( JRC-FINANCE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Urgent action is needed to combat climate change and environmental degradation. Europe is committed to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, building on previous policy efforts.

Despite progress, challenges remain, such as improving sustainability disclosures, reversing biodiversity loss, and understanding related risks. Success requires collaboration among stakeholders, financial market participants, and strong scientific evidence.

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As COVID-19's impact lingers, addressing social issues becomes crucial. Immediate action against climate change and environmental degradation is essential for a sustainable recovery. Europe leads the way, focusing on a Just Transition and financing the European Green Deal as part of its recovery plan.

The Sustainable Finance Strategy offers a roadmap to boost private investment in sustainable projects. Success depends on stakeholder engagement, financial market participants, and strong scientific evidence.

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Policymakers need to react to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.The challenge should not overshadow the goals of a more sustainable economy and society.

This 2^nd summer school intends to help policymakers in creating stimulus packages, which also help to achieve climate and other environmental and societal policy goals.

To this end, we promote the development of policy-relevant research and science-based policies.

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The Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development mark historical international commitments to a more sustainable economy and society.

In this context, the financial system has a key role to play.

While policy initiatives on sustainable finance are advancing at the European level, there is a strong need for sharing knowledge and experience on substantive sustainable finance issues.

To answer this need, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Sustainable Finance Research Forum have organised the summer school on sustainable finance.

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