Course summary

This course will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of sustainable finance concepts and techniques, along with the knowledge and skills to introduce environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into financial analysis, investment decisions, and capital allocation strategies. Emphasis will be placed on exploring innovative financial instruments, such as green public procurement, public private partnerships, green bonds, social impact bonds, and ESG-focused funds, and evaluating their role in promoting sustainable development and value creation. You'll also explore the renewable energy markets, including analysis of key financial instruments such as green bonds and the FTSE Environmental markets index, and to understand how fossil fuel energy markets affect the renewable energy markets. Additionally, you'll develop critical analytical skills to evaluate the impact of factors such as CO2 emission pricing and derivatives on renewable energy investments. You'll examine the context and underlying causes of energy poverty, including socio-economic factors and access to energy resources and will analyse data on energy poverty to understand its prevalence, distribution, and impact on communities and economies. The course includes discussion of research results and interaction with participants from international research projects funded by UKRI and the European Commission.