Climate is no longer the only risk in town: thanks to a loud call from the scientific community, nature has finally been given a seat at the table with finance ministers, regulators and central bank governors.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean up water supplies, prevent the loss of biodiversity, mitigate fire and flood risk and meet the nutritional requirements of a growing population the world must improve its regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices – new tools and support from the financial services industry are needed to fund that transition.

The Seychelles will need to tackle its drug problem head on if it wants to develop a thriving blue economy and pay back debt raised from the first ever blue bond.

Greater consideration has to be given to financing conservation. That includes questioning the financing of firms that produce pesticides and herbicides.

TNC aims for $1.6 billion impact of blue bonds by 2025; Morgan Stanley commits to financing plastic reduction for oceans.

The utility’s sustainability performance will partly determine the cost of servicing its new bank credit line, with any savings going to charity.

Natixis surveys large institutional investors and produces framework to avoid ‘SDG-washing’.

Banks must be front and centre for Europe to mobilize its financial system in the fight against climate change.

These are the areas that the United Nations says banks need to consider when accepting their responsibilities in shaping and financing a sustainable future.

The first refugee investment impact bond is poised to launch in 2019.

Managed marine protected areas are an effective tool in coastal ocean conservation. They are also ripe to be included in investment structures. The upsides for everyone may help push the protected area of the world’s seas from 2% to 30% by 2030.

In April Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte took a characteristically drastic step. He closed Boracay. It is an indication of the environmental threat from marine pollution. Can the private sector help clean up the seas?

Private-sector investors are taking their first tentative steps into sustainable fisheries projects. Alignment of interests and investment returns look good on paper, but there are many practical issues that need to be addressed before radical transformation can occur.

Blue finance is set to take off this year, buoyed by growing appetite for investments in sustainable fisheries, conservation and alternative plastics. It’s further evidence of the influence of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

CEO has broader ambitions as firm turns 10; impact investing still modest in Asia but growing.

Investing in a sustainable matter does work – just look at the numbers.

David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, and Jim Cowles, CEO for EMEA at Citi, discuss exclusively with Euromoney how finance can help the refugee crisis at the launch of an initiative.

When infrastructure is developed on a scale like this, the ripples flow in every direction, including health. What does Belt and Road mean from that perspective?

What does Belt and Road mean for a multilateral like the Asian Development Bank? Friend or foe? The ADB’s stated mandate is, among other things, to improve infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific region, so any assistance in that task is surely good. But does it move the goalposts of due diligence and so undermine the standards ADB seeks to set around environmental and social impact? Does the good outweigh the bad?

As an ecosystem to support and build the social bond brand starts to emerge, could the market outstrip its green cousin? There is a good chance, given the breadth of problems and the financing needs behind them. But some big challenges lie ahead.

Blue states lead lagging US on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing; pension funds hold investment managers accountable.

Banks are learning about the damage that being on the wrong side of environmental issues can cause.

Global warming is the biggest issue facing society. Markets can play a crucial role in combating climate change. Banks see a huge opportunity to be agents for good – and make plenty of money in the process. How big can green finance become? Clive Horwood investigates.