Yurivilca, Rossemary (2019). 2018 IDB Climate Finance Database. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/ftyk-ge79

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What is the IDB Group Climate Finance Dataset?

The 2018 IDB Group Climate Finance Dataset contains data on the Inter-American Development Bank Group’s (IDBG) financial commitments that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
It aligns with international reporting standards established by the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and promotes transparency in climate-related investments.

What information does the dataset include?

This dataset details:

• Annual financial flows (in US dollars) directed toward climate-related projects.
• Sectoral distribution of funding (e.g., energy, transport, agriculture, water).
• Adaptation and mitigation breakdown, consistent with MDB joint methodology.
• Country- and region-level summaries for approved operations during 2018.
• Co-financing and concessional resources supporting climate resilience.

Why was this dataset created?

The dataset provides a transparent accounting of IDB Group’s role in climate finance mobilization, helping policymakers and researchers track progress toward the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It also supports comparative analysis across years, sectors, and project types.

Which institutions are included in the IDB Group?

The IDB Group comprises:

• The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
• IDB Invest (private sector arm)
• IDB Lab (innovation and entrepreneurship laboratory)

Each institution contributes climate finance data based on its operational portfolio.

What is the difference between mitigation and adaptation finance?

• Mitigation finance supports efforts to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport.
• Adaptation finance enhances resilience to climate impacts, such as investments in water management, climate-smart agriculture, and coastal protection.

What is the geographic coverage?

The dataset covers operations approved in 2018 across Latin America and the Caribbean, with country-level disaggregation where available.
It includes both regional and national projects, providing insight into investment patterns across economies of varying sizes and levels of vulnerability.

How was the data collected and classified?

Data were compiled through internal IDB Group systems, applying the Joint MDB Methodology for Tracking Climate Finance.
Each project component was evaluated and tagged based on its primary climate objective, ensuring consistency with global reporting frameworks.

How can this dataset be used?

Researchers, analysts, and policymakers can use the dataset to:

• Measure annual trends in climate-related investment.
• Analyze sectoral and regional allocation of resources.
• Assess the balance between mitigation and adaptation efforts.
• Benchmark IDB Group activity against other MDBs and national climate finance flows.

What are the main findings for 2018?

• Climate finance represented a notable share of IDB Group’s total approvals.
• The majority of investments supported low-carbon energy and sustainable transport.
• Adaptation financing grew, particularly in water resource management and agriculture.
• Private-sector participation increased through IDB Invest operations.

How does this dataset relate to previous years?

The 2018 dataset is part of an annual time series of IDB Group climate finance data.
Users can compare trends across editions (e.g., 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) to assess progress in climate finance scaling and policy alignment with regional priorities.

What are the dataset’s limitations?

• Data reflect approved financing rather than disbursements.
• Not all projects are fully disaggregated by country or sub-sector.
• Classification depends on project documentation and may evolve as methodologies improve.

What information is included in the Inter-American Development Bank climate finance dataset for 2018?

The dataset functions as a 2018 IDB climate finance database rather than a narrative report. It shows project-level and summary data on approved climate finance, including project numbers, countries, approval dates, approved amounts, climate finance use, and allocations for mitigation, adaptation, and dual use.

What were the key climate finance figures reported by the Inter-American Development Bank Group in 2018?

The overview sheet reports that the IDB Group provided about US$4.97 billion in climate finance in 2018, equal to 27% of total approvals. Within that total, the sheet attributes about US$4.16 billion to IDB, US$15.9 million to IDB Lab, and US$789.3 million to IDB Invest.

What were the IDB climate finance trends 2015-2018?

The dataset includes a trend line for the share of approvals classified as climate finance. That share rises from 16.1% in 2015 to 22.0% in 2016 and 28.5% in 2017, then slips slightly to 27.0% in 2018. This supports a medium-term view that climate finance will become a larger share of approvals over the period, even with a small pullback in 2018.

Which Latin American countries received the most IDB climate finance in 2018?

Using the country summary in the workbook, the largest climate finance amounts in 2018 went to Mexico (US$828.5 million), Brazil (US$768.1 million), and Argentina (US$659.7 million). Among the next largest recipients were Ecuador (US$328.3 million), Bolivia (US$293.5 million), Jamaica (US$286.2 million), and the Dominican Republic (US$278.0 million).

How does the IDB climate finance 2018 vs 2017 year-over-year growth compare?

The dataset supports a limited year-over-year comparison based on the climate-finance share of approvals, but not a full 2017 project-level comparison. On that measure, climate finance declines slightly from 28.5% in 2017 to 27.0% in 2018.