The paper reviews a number of commercial and public data sources to examine their potential for increasing coverage and understanding of the volume and characteristics of private climate finance beyond renewable energy projects. Such information is needed to assess progress towards the global transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies, as well towards the fulfilment of international commitments by developed countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The data sources investigated in this analysis are evaluated across four areas relating to their: (i) use of sectoral classification systems; (ii) coverage of private finance transactions and instruments; (iii) definitions and methods for categorising finance as private and identifying its geographic origin; and (iv) data access restrictions and methodological transparency. To provide a frame of reference, the paper distils corresponding definitions and methodologies used by key known data sources for tracking climatespecific finance as well as investments and finance more broadly...