Green Bonds :: GBIG Insight

GRESB Updates Green Bond Guidelines for the Real Estate Sector

By Dan Winters on 19 Oct 2016 • 3 minute read

At the close of the third quarter of 2016, the green bond market already outpaced the record-setting 2015 issuance and is projected to close the year with $70-80 billion in originations. Green property bonds have emerged as a key sector with year-to-date green property …

Will the Carbon Bubble Drive Further Growth in the Green Bond Market?

By Christopher Clement on 14 Dec 2015 • 4 minute read

As enthusiasm for the green bond market grows, the number of issuances has continued to grow at a rapid clip and is expected to hit somewhere between $50 and $70 billion in 2015, according to the United Nations. This growth has also seen a rapid expansion in the number …

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Can Green Bonds Catalyze a Clean Energy Transition?

By Christopher Clement on 30 Jun 2015 • 3 minute read

The growth of the green bond market has been highly touted as the financial bridge needed to address climate change and the transition to clean energy at scale. What scale of investment are we talking about here? According to the International Energy Agency, investments …

Green Capital For Greener Buildings: GRESB Green Bond Guidelines for the Real Estate Sector

By Sara Anzinger on 21 Jun 2015 • 8 minute read

The property sector has recently received significant attention related to climate change and sustainability efforts, and rightfully so. Contributing one-third of global carbon emissions and consuming 40% of global energy and resources, 25% of water and 60% of electrici …

Digital Realty Trust Issues First Global Green Property Bond

By Chris Pyke, PhD on 20 Jun 2015 • 3 minute read

The property sector appears to be warming up to green bonds. Over the last year, we have seen a series of offerings from Vornado Realty Trust, Regency Centers, Unibail-Rodamco, Vasakronan, and Stockland. A new, $500 million green bond issued by Digital Realty Trust, …

Sustainability and Real Estate Debt: The Elephant is Back

By Nils Kok on 19 May 2015 • 5 minute read

There are many ways to invest in real estate, but a typical university textbook would show a variation of this graph: The top row shows equity investments: buy shares in a listed property company (REIT), or take a stake in a private equity rea …

Is the Low-Carbon Economy a Business Opportunity, Moral Mandate, or Both?

By Christopher Wedding, PhD on 13 May 2015 • 2 minute read

An increasing number of corporations, financial institutions, and foundations are making headlines with bold initiatives focused on mitigating climate change via real estate and infrastructure investments. Is this just about doing the right thing? We at g-bit (green bu …

Green Bonds for Green Buildings? New Financing Options for a Low Carbon Built Environment

By Christopher Wedding, PhD on 08 Oct 2014 • 5 minute read

Green bonds focus on financing future investments – such as greener buildings or renewable energy projects – that produce attractive financial risk/reward scenarios, reduce greenhouse gases, and/or provide other positive environmental benefits. Most importantly, gre …

Green Bonds: REITs Raise $700 Million in 2Q14

By Dan Winters on 23 Jul 2014 • 2 minute read

In the second quarter of 2014, two major publicly-traded commercial real estate investment trusts raised a combined $700 million in general obligation debt for investing in real estate development and/or retrofit projects identified as ‘green’. These bond offerin …