Adaptation

Finance
Ecosystem in
The
Netherlands
Adaptation Futures 2018
Bituen Hidalgo
Hidalgo Consultancy
 Studies on adaptation finance
from multilateral sources
(example: World Bank, IFC) and
Adaptation finance ecosystem in
grantors.
The Netherlands
• Not much studies on adaptation finance
from non-multilaterals
• The Netherlands as test case

Introduction and Objective

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 Data: from online, free and publicly available sources

Adaptation action by entities with a “Dutch-link”

• Economic entities operating in The Netherlands
• Project or companies funded from NL
• Investment funds owned by Dutch companies or operated by Dutch entities
Period: 2016 and 2017 adaptation actions

Adaptation actions: based on UNEP Adaptation Gap Report

Methodology
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 1. Company reports (annual, half-year, CSR, Sustainability)
• Six largest financial institutions in NL (in terms of assets)
• Largest pension funds (in terms of assets under management)
• Companies included in the index of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
2. News and reported high-profile climate adaptation action

3. Collected data
• Finance Source (Name, Sector, Type of Company, Project/Activity, Country),
• Recipient of the Financing (includes purpose of financing, name of project, how is project structured – parties
included, agreements between the parties, etc)
Result: 27 transactions were found to be adaptation actions
• Financial Sector: Dutch development bank FMO, ING, EIB, Aegon
• Corporations: Akzo Nobel, Boskalis, Heineken, Vopak, SBM Offshore
• Various National and Local Governments: Public Works and Water Management
• Investors/Venture Capital: Kima Ventures, Mainport Innovation Fund, angel investors

Data Gathering
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 Project activities:
• Bond issuance, debt, equity investment, grants
• Capex investment
• Consultancy contract
• EPC contract (for Engineering, Procurement, Construction)

Purpose of financing:
• Biodiversity, ecosystem service, ocean cleanup, reef 3D printing
• Waste management (recycling, reduction)
• Water management (Drought, resilience, water recycling, watershed, water supply)
• Coastal development (flood management, “sand engine” for coastline reinforcement)
• Agri (Climate smart soil, agri micro insurance, alternative food)
• R&D of climate action
• Snow harvesting

Data Summary
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 Financing
Sources

Financing Sources
(banks, pension Data
Creators Builders
funds, investors, providers
(innovators, start-
government and
ups and scale-ups)
government
agencies)

Solution-
Corporations Corporations
creators
Builders
(infrastructure, (as grantors and
EPC) own capex and
opex) Triple Helix

Adaptation Finance Ecosystem components

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 Sponsors
Adaptation financing requires many incl. Dutch
government
parties to be involved
• Not as simple as “grantor to grantee” arrangement
• Project structure approach: many stakeholders
Many
involved in creating, deciding and executing (since partners Sponsor and
The Ocean
13th century in Holland, to build dikes) contributing
Cleanup
builder
different Boskalis
• Innovation is supported by public and private services
entities

Example: The Ocean Cleanup

Crowdfunding
• to remove plastic from the ocean investors

• https://www.theoceancleanup.com/partners/

Conclusions
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 Investments by financial sector:
not published or are close to nil! • Focus on ecosystem
• Cheaper and more
Corporations are active in available latest data
adaptation efforts: • Rating agencies add a
To improve “climate action”
• Mainly to minimise climate impact monitoring indicator
on own revenues and operations • Require publication of
• Implications: adaptation actions and
• Action only in places where the investments, give Annex
business is I or Non-Annex I.
• If no link to business, no action

Conclusions
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 Topics for further studies Proposed actions
• Make database of project structures
• Survey corporates’ climate action
and transfer this knowledge to the
• Financing and project structure
most vulnerable.
• Similar analysis for other countries and
cities that have active climate action • Generate list of “usual suspects” who
efforts. are participants in projects
• Coordinate with different parties and
stakeholders when developing
projects

Recommendations
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 Bituen Hidalgo (Presentor and Researcher)

For additional information, contact info@hidalgoconsultancy.com.

The paper was initially written as part of Certified Expert in Climate

Adaptation Finance (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management)

www.hidalgoconsultancy.com

About Hidalgo Consultancy

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