COP26, the international climate summit now underway in Glasgow, bills itself as “the world’s best last chance to get runaway climate change under control.” One of the strategies on the agenda is private sector engagement—and in this climate-themed issue of IFC Insights, we examine how the private sector can help emerging-market countries reach their climate-related goals.

In “Financing the Transition to Net Zero,” we spotlight sustainably-linked bonds, “blue” loans, and other new tools that can help achieve net zero emissions. To offer some perspective on the most promising areas for climate business, we’ve asked IFC experts to weigh in on five sectors to watch. From this bird’s-eye view, we zero in on an architect’s quest to turn an old building in Mexico into a zero-carbon office space. Buildings like this can help cities reach their climate goals faster—and as Cassie Sutherland of C40 tells us, they are key elements of a “green and just future.”

In Glasgow and across the globe, discussions like these will shape the lives of generations to come. You can join the conversation on the private sector’s role in climate at #ClimateActionWBG.

– Alison Buckholtz