Power and Planet

In this episode, Avinash Persaud explores how multilateral development banks and global partners are reshaping climate finance — not from scratch, but by building on proven action. From resilient infrastructure to renewable energy, developing countries are already investing billions, despite limited fiscal space and mounting climate challenges. At the heart of the conversation is Belém — a turning...

In episode five of Power and Planet, economist Avinash Persaud dives deep into the hidden forces shaping our climate future—not technology, but finance.  The Currency Trap  unpacks how the cost of capital, driven by foreign exchange risk and systemic financial structures, determines who gets to build a sustainable future and who gets left behind. From collapsing solar prices to soaring borrowing c...

In Episode 4 of  Power and Planet , Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, dives deep into the captivating world of debt swaps—often hailed as poetic solutions to complex global challenges. From the alluring promise of debt-for-nature deals to the hard truths of market realities, this episode unpacks the myths, mechanics, and pot...

While disasters have traditionally been managed through insurance, climate shocks are now too frequent, too costly, and too unpredictable to insure effectively. From the staggering $30 billion flood losses in Brazil to the global funding gap for climate-vulnerable countries, Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change for the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, explores in thi...

In this episode, Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, unpacks the urgent and ambitious journey toward mobilizing $1.3 trillion in climate   finance for developing countries. From the origins of the roadmap at COP29 in Baku to the innovative "Reinvest+" initiative, Persaud challenges conventional thinking around private sector m...

Join Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, in the first episode of a series leading up to COP30 in Belém. In clear, jargon-free language, Persaud breaks down the urgent challenges of climate finance—revealing how the world has the resources, technology, and knowledge to act, but not yet the systems to mobilize them. From the sta...