Understanding the potentials of green bonds and green certification schemes for the development of future smart cities

This chapter demonstrates the potentials of green bonds and green certification schemes for the development of future smart cities. The first part of this chapter introduces the concepts and practices of green bonds. It emphasizes the importance to design green bonds to maintain financial and environmental relevance under different instruments and practices. The second part of this chapter focuses upon the use of certification schemes in the formulations and implementations of green bonds. It indicates that the certification schemes can be effective instrument to secure the accountability of environmental performance of target investments through green bonds and hence promote the development of green bonds. It also stresses the importance of monitoring and reporting the environmental impacts of green bond projects in the post-issuance period so that investors are assured that their target investments maintain their environmental performance in the project implementation phase. The end of this chapter addresses some examples of the use of green bonds for smart cities both in developed and developing countries.