1 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: It's the big take from Bloomberg News and iHeart Radio. 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: I'm West Caasoba today. Green bonds. They're selling billions of 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: dollars worth of them, but just how green are they really? 4 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: It sounds like a noble enough IDEA company, or maybe 5 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: a government needs money to pay for a big solar 6 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: power project, or to replace dirty diesel school buses with 7 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: electric ones, so they issue what's called a green bond. 8 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: Green bonds worked like any other bond. Investors buy them 9 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: to finance a project. The investors are paid back with interest, 10 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 1: and they get to feel good about themselves for putting 11 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: their money into a cleaner future. The increasing demand for 12 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: this kind of ethical investing has led to an explosion 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: in the number of green bonds of every description. The 14 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: thing is, it's not always easy to tell if projects 15 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: described as green really are or if it's just clever marketing. 16 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: That's what we're digging into today, and we'll start with 17 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: the basics. My colleague Aaron Rutcoff joins me now he 18 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: oversees climate and environmental coverage at Bloomberg Green. Aaron, thanks 19 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: for coming on the show, Thanks for having me with 20 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,919 Speaker 1: what is a green bond? Green bond is you're borrowing money, 21 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: you're taking on debt, and you're spending that money on 22 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: an explicitly pro climate, pro environmental energy transition oriented project. 23 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: And who's issuing these bonds, Like who's borrowing and who's 24 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: looking for this money? You could be a sovereign government, 25 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: so you know, you could be the government of India 26 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: who just entered the green bond market for the first time, 27 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: and you're trying to use this money on you know, 28 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: big infrastructure projects on solar farms. Controversially, you could be 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: a fossil fuel company and you're trying to lower the 30 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: emissions with some of your refineries, or you could be 31 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: trying to build renewable energy infrastructure for a big company 32 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: that's trying to put solar panels on the roof of 33 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: its warehouses. All of that would follow every bonds. So 34 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: you're issuing these bonds, you're saying, hey, buy these bonds, 35 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: you'll get a return on them, and the money is 36 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: going to be used for good right right, And it 37 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: has to have dedicated green purpose. It can't just be 38 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: an all purpose debt instrument to raise money for your company. 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: It's got to be or your government. It's got to 40 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: be going directly to some explicitly named green project. And 41 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: so that's the difference between say a green and in 42 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: regular bond because governments and companies they issue bonds all 43 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: the time to pay for projects, and the deal is sure, 44 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: you give us the money and you'll get a return, right. 45 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: And I think one of the reasons why green bonds 46 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: are appealing is because people who might invest in your 47 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: debt can be the people who just like your government 48 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: or your company as an investment, right, like your normal 49 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: people who would be interested in such a thing. But 50 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: you also open up a whole wider world of people 51 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: that are interested in marketing themselves as having invested in 52 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: e s G. E s G is environmental, social and 53 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: governance criteria for investing. It's hugely popular now in addition 54 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: to everyone else who might have previously been interested in 55 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: your debt, you now have e s G investors. These 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: green bands have become very popular. How big is the 57 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: worldwide green bond market right now? So, uh, it's only 58 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: been around since two thousand seven. So if you want 59 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: to go lifetime two thousand seven and now you're at 60 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: three point eight trillion dollars, And if you want to 61 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: look at a more recent According to Bloomberg, in e 62 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: F in the first half of this year there was 63 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: four and ninety two billion dollars and and every month, 64 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: you know, it goes up and down, but you're seeing 65 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: tens of billions of dollars of new green bond activity. 66 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: You know in any given month right now? Is there 67 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: any standard that you have to meet for a green band, 68 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: like you have to fulfill these requirements or can anyone 69 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: just claim that their bond is green? So wes If 70 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: you want to do a green bond in Europe, there 71 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: are standards there. Europe was the first one to go 72 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: into green bonds in a big way. There's still the 73 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: biggest market for it, and they're the furthest along in regulations, 74 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,679 Speaker 1: so they're in the process of adopting very clearly defined 75 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: standards and most of the time those standards are being 76 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: observed right now, even if they don't have the full 77 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: force of law because they're not finalized yet. But if 78 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,160 Speaker 1: you're doing it in the US, it's gonna be like 79 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: so many climate things under a voluntary standards, So there's 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: a standard setting body you're supposed to be complying with 81 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: their rules and there's certain you know, processes, like your 82 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 1: most bonds, you don't have to report on the activity 83 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: that's going into the bonds. Like if you're doing standard 84 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: corporate debt, you don't have to do any special reporting 85 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,599 Speaker 1: to meet that bond criteria going forward. But with green bonds, 86 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 1: under the voluntary standards in the US, you're gonna be 87 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: making statements about, you know, how's that hydro electric project going, 88 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: or how's that battery project that you took the bond 89 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: out for. And that makes it easier for people like 90 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: a journalist to look into what's happening. But you know, 91 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: in the U s, if you want to know what's 92 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: truly happening in a green bond, you know you're gonna 93 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: need to look into it. A regulator that's going to 94 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: come in and penalize you if you're if you're not 95 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: following the rule. I imagine you spend a lot of 96 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: time with the Bloom Green team trying to find out 97 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: whether these projects are green. Do you find a lot 98 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: of them that claim to be that aren't. Yes, Yes, 99 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: there was recently some work we were doing looking at 100 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: data centers in the US as a particular user of 101 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: green bond Now I'm not the standard setting body by 102 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: any means, and I certainly wouldn't be making like a 103 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: one size all decree here. But data centers produce a 104 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: lot of emissions, and so it's not obvious if you're 105 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: just looking at it on the service that that would 106 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 1: be the greenest of all possible investments. Are the results 107 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 1: being seen from all this money being spent? So, like, 108 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: can you measure it in the atmosphere in terms of 109 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: like is carbon dioxide going down because we have green bonds? 110 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: I think there's been a lot of capital that's moved 111 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: into green projects in a way that you know, a 112 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: good amount of it is is positive. It's brought a 113 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: lot of finance into renewable energy. Now there's an economic 114 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: basis for renewable energy in a way there wasn't before. 115 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: The cost of building solar or wind is often going 116 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: to be the cheapest new source of energy anywhere that 117 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 1: you go. So if the question is, like our green 118 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: bonds transforming the planet so that it's much more sustainable, 119 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: is it going to the places that are the hardest 120 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,919 Speaker 1: city carbonize and bringing a lot of money in, I 121 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: think they're The answer is a little more difficult to 122 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: see guidelines on really what is a green bond and 123 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: what is not, so that you don't just slap that 124 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: label on for a good look. We tend to see 125 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: a lot of green bond activity going into things that 126 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: are already very safe and established, and what you're not 127 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: seeing is green bonds as a way to say, decarbonize 128 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,239 Speaker 1: the Asian industry or some other kind of heavy industry 129 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: that's really difficult right now to solve where we really 130 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: do need more capital to bring about climate solutions. So 131 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: right now you're seeing a lot of it go to 132 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: things that are already very successful and maybe not as 133 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: much going into the big innovations that we need for 134 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: like the next step of decarbonization. I hear this phrase 135 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: greenwashing a lot when it comes to green bonds. What 136 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: is greenwashing? Greenwashing is just making a claim of climate 137 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: impact or de harbonization or environmental positivity that's really a 138 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: mask for business as usual or a practice that isn't 139 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: helping very much. Do you see a lot of greenwashing 140 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 1: in green bonds? Yes, I mean you can very easily 141 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: find projects that don't seem to really map onto a 142 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: very effective or measurable decarbonization. Drawing green bonds. You can 143 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: find things where the money is going to places that 144 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: aren't positive at all, that might be negative. I mean 145 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: that the example of a data center drawing green bonds, 146 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: You're gonna have a lot of questions, so you're gonna 147 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: want to ask about that project. There are fossil fuel 148 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: companies that are drawing green bonds while they're still building 149 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: new fossil fuel resources. You know, still the green bond 150 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: might not be going to that, but it's going to 151 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: the same company that's also expanding it's fossil fuel. You're 152 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: going to have a lot of questions you're gonna want 153 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: to ask. And in the world where in right now 154 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: you're going to have to really look closely at each 155 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: project before you you can feel absolutely certain that it's 156 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: not connected to green washing. Therein Rudcoff, thanks for coming 157 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: on the show. Thanks for having me. West one country 158 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: putting that green label on all kinds of projects China. 159 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: We talk about that after the break. Rebecca Jung Willins 160 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: joins me now. She is a government reporter for Bloomberg 161 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: based in Hong Kong. Rebecca, you and our colleagues Caroline Khan, 162 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: Shirley and Adrian Lung have written this big story taking 163 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: a look at China's green bands and where that money 164 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: is really going. That's not always an easy thing to 165 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: find out, is it. China has built one of the 166 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: world's biggest screen bond markets. It's raised more than three 167 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: hundred billion since twenty fifteen, and it's really sort of 168 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,479 Speaker 1: focused on trying to rain in some of the environmental 169 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: problems in China. But like many parts of the world 170 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: that have tried to develop these sort of queen financing markets, 171 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: that have been real concerns about disclosure and gaps and 172 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: issues with transparency. So they built a three hundred billion 173 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: dollar green band market in really just seven years, and 174 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: it's central because President ju and Ping has made this 175 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 1: a very important part of China's sort of green energy transition. 176 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: Is that right? Absolutely? So, China's sort of green ambitions 177 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: have been a central part of Season Ping's policy. He's 178 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: placed at the heart of a lot of what the 179 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: central government has sought to do over the past decade, 180 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: and he's really done more than any other leader. He 181 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: said to be a true believer in the environmental cause, 182 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: and a lot of that initially focused on trying to 183 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: curb really excessive pollution in many of China's megacities. She's 184 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: Pink's ambitions for China's environmental policies sort of continue to 185 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: be dominated by phrases that he has, including this one 186 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: that mountain and river green are mountains of silver and gold, 187 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: and that's not going to be cheap. And the reason 188 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: why they're issuing these bands in part is because by 189 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,719 Speaker 1: their own estimates, it's going to cost just like an 190 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: astronomical amount of money. Absolutely as so, by their own projections, 191 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: it could cost upwards of eighteen trillion US dollars to 192 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: fund this green transition. So it is an immense amount 193 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: of money, and in that context, China's green bond market 194 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: so far is just a small sliver of that. So 195 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:01,679 Speaker 1: you looked at a bunch of different, big, ambitious projects 196 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: that some of these green bands are going to fund. 197 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,839 Speaker 1: In your question was how green are they? What are 198 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: some of these projects? So one of the interesting projects 199 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: that we looked at was this Herbey Iron and Steel company, 200 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: and it was initially intended this bond to sort of 201 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: help with pollution provincial and control, but it was actually 202 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: in part used to fund the relocation of a factory 203 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 1: that had already happened, so the factory was moved from 204 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: Herbe's provincial capital, and residents there were of course pleased 205 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: um and said it had helped with pollution. But the issue, 206 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: I think is that the plant's new neighbors are skeptical 207 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: about the green credentials or the environmental friendliness of that project. 208 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: So we spoke to one man who runs a private 209 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: bus line in the area where the new factory has 210 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,319 Speaker 1: been built, and he suspects that the pollution prevention system 211 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: is actually turned off when nobody's watching, and he noted 212 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: that the smoke you can see smoke from the factory 213 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: better at night. He also pointed to the dilapidated buildings 214 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: that belonged to former villages in the new areas and 215 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: said that he was planning to leave soon and that 216 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 1: nobody lives there anymore, saying that one more transparent element 217 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,959 Speaker 1: about the project is that it did include its targets 218 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:19,680 Speaker 1: for emission and pollution reduction. So, for example, set out 219 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: to try and save more than a hundred and fifty 220 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: thousand tons of coal and more than eight hundred thousand 221 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: tons of water and more than eighty thousand tons of 222 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,959 Speaker 1: c O two emissions, so it did lay out some 223 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: explicit targets. You tried to sort out which of these 224 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: big projects funded about green bands were in fact green projects. 225 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,839 Speaker 1: Can you tell us what you found? So we took 226 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: this sort of case study of thirty five of some 227 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: of China's biggest green bonds from more than a thousand 228 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,960 Speaker 1: of the securities that have been issued so far, and 229 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: of the ten of the biggest bonds, about half of 230 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: them didn't have any disclosures about what type of projects 231 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: they were going to, and one of the biggest bonds, 232 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: although it disclosed more than two twenty different projects, didn't 233 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: really specify what types of projects and what actual projects 234 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: they were going to. So we did find there were 235 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: these transparency issues with that case study. One of the 236 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 1: criticisms of green bands is that buyers don't really have 237 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: a very good idea of how green the project actually is, 238 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: and with China that seems to be an especially big problem. 239 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: So until relatively recently, green got bonds could actually be 240 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,559 Speaker 1: used to fund so called clean coal. That was something 241 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: that was very controversial, particularly with international investors. That's no 242 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,959 Speaker 1: longer now acceptable as part of the green bond framework, 243 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: and it's just one of the things that authorities have 244 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,199 Speaker 1: laid out to try and bring the standards of China's 245 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:58,479 Speaker 1: environmental bonds closer to international standards and closer in particular 246 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 1: to Europe set US. Instead, some of those companies, those 247 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: coal companies, could in turn try to issue transition bonds 248 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: which would help with that movement to an alternative source 249 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 1: of energy or to find cleaner ways of producing energy. 250 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: So who is buying all of these bands? If they 251 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: have just eventually have trillions of dollars of investors, they're 252 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: not all in China? Who is investing in bands where 253 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: it's not always clear where the money is going? So 254 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: about Chinese green bonds are denominated in U n so 255 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: those that were so known as local bonds, and they're 256 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: largely really accessible to local investors. That leaves about thirty 257 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,479 Speaker 1: percent of bonds which are denominated in hard currencies, typically 258 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: in US dollars, and these are the ones that are 259 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: much easier for international investors to buy. So the bulk 260 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: of the bonds that Chinese companies issues are are actually 261 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: predominantly bought and sold by local investors, and particularly really 262 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: by financial institutions and authorities themselves have urged the market 263 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: to step in and try and boost am on for 264 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: these types of notes. One way to boost a MAN, 265 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 1: I suppose, would be to increase the transparency around what 266 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: an investor's money is being spent on. Absolutely, so China has, 267 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: for example, try to increase and improve standards around green bonds, 268 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 1: particularly trying to introduce these taxonomys, systems of classification and 269 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: make them sort of closer to European standards, which are 270 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: sort of considered. I think that the best in show here, 271 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:37,440 Speaker 1: and that's essential to attracting particularly international investors, who typically 272 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: have higher standards when it comes to fulfilling the requirements 273 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: of their green mandates on funds. For example, you mentioned 274 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: that of the buyers of these bands are local investors 275 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: paying in yuan. It's not at all clear that they're 276 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: all buying these bands because they're green. What other reason 277 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: would they be buying these bands for. So it's not 278 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: really clear that we're seeing many local investors choosing to 279 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: buy lots of these bonds because of their green credentials. 280 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: A lot of them seem to be bought and sold 281 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: by financial institutions themselves, so I think there is an 282 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: imperative felt from these financial institutions. Many of which are 283 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: state banks to meet these sort of policies that are 284 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: set out at the top to try to buy, sell, 285 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: and engage in these green financing markets. But it's not 286 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: really clear if the market itself has been motivated to 287 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: engage to buy green debt because of the environmental goals. So, 288 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: for example, we haven't seen a massive rush of green 289 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: credit funds where the mandate or the requirement of the 290 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 1: fund is to focus specifically on environmental debt. That's different 291 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: from say in Europe, where we have seen more of 292 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: that kind of activity. And does it look good for 293 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: them to be investing in something that the presidentcy Jimping 294 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: has publicly said is important to him. Authorities do seem 295 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: to be aware that they need to encourage the market 296 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: itself to try and fill the gap when it comes 297 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: to investing in this type of product and try and 298 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 1: sort of generate demand from the market itself. But we 299 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:19,119 Speaker 1: have certainly seen companies looking to try and meet these 300 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: green goals and selling debt, possibly even when it isn't 301 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: necessarily something which would obviously fulfill some kind of green requirement. 302 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:34,439 Speaker 1: Do you think that China will ultimately mirror Europe and 303 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:40,440 Speaker 1: other Western band markets which have greater, if not terrific transparency, 304 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: or do you think they'll stay the same and other 305 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: nations will start to mimic China in issuing a lot 306 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 1: of bands without a lot of transparency. Well, China certainly 307 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: has a different challenge to more developed countries. It's essentially 308 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,959 Speaker 1: trying to sort of still grow and develop its economy, 309 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: move out of industrial phase, and meet these very ambitious 310 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: environmental targets at the same time. But I do think 311 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,439 Speaker 1: that China ultimately is trying to move towards these better 312 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,880 Speaker 1: standards that we see in Europe and other Western bond 313 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: markets which have much greater transparency. So for example, moving 314 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: away from using green bonds to find the clean coal, 315 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: which is very controversial among international investors, plus now saying 316 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 1: that all of the use of proceeds from bonds have 317 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: to go to green projects. Are two ways where China 318 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: is trying to align its standards more closely with European standards. 319 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 1: Do you anticipate that China will begin to really aggressively 320 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: court outside investors to try to get international buyers for 321 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: these bands. Well, on the one hand, I think the 322 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: move to adopt some of these international standards does suggest 323 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 1: it is trying to create more integrated system. We have seen, 324 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: of course, about a third of the bonds issued in 325 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: offshore currency, that they are sold outside of mainland China, 326 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,679 Speaker 1: where it's much easier for international investors to access them, 327 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,479 Speaker 1: saying that the bulk of China's credit market, which is 328 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,119 Speaker 1: has been historically used to fund the enormous amount of 329 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,800 Speaker 1: its development, really is in the onshore market where it's 330 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: they're really dominated by local investors and local financial institutions. 331 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: So the bulk of China's nineteen trillion dollar credit market 332 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: is in fact onshore. Rebecca Jing Wilkins, thanks so much 333 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,399 Speaker 1: for talking to me. Thanks you very much for having me. 334 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: What does a green band project that's actually green look like? 335 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:47,880 Speaker 1: Our producer in London, Frederica Romagnello, took a stroll down 336 00:19:47,920 --> 00:20:07,200 Speaker 1: the Thames River to find out. I'm in London. I'm 337 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: standing just underneath Blackfriars Bridge. It's the average London rainy day. 338 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: There is a little bit of sunshine, there's quite a 339 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,199 Speaker 1: lot of rain coming down, and I'm standing in a 340 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: construction site with Camill Cocken High Camille, Fredrika Camille, you 341 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:28,640 Speaker 1: are the interim head of Treasury a tide way. Could 342 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: you tell me a bit more about tideway and why 343 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 1: of all places today we're standing in a construction site. 344 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: London relies on a sewer built for a population less 345 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: than half its current size, and as a result there's 346 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,160 Speaker 1: millions of tons, roughly fourteen million a year they get 347 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,719 Speaker 1: pumped into the River Thames. We we're building a giant 348 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: sewer which is going to intercept these bills, and I've 349 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: lurned them into our into our super sewer. This will 350 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: then we carried these words across the sewer. Treatments worked 351 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: in Beckton out to the east of London, so Mill. 352 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 1: We are standing now in the construction side of black Friers. 353 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: Black Frier Station is just behind us. The tent is 354 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: just a few meters in front of us. Obviously we 355 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: cannot go underwater into the actual tunnel, but what does 356 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 1: that look like? The Thames Tideway Tunnel that we're building 357 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: is a twenty five kilometers along long tunnel seven point 358 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,400 Speaker 1: two m with so enough to get three London buses 359 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 1: side by side inside it. Just you can picture that 360 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: it stretches from Acton in the west to Abbey Mills 361 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: in the east. It will be capturing the forty million 362 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 1: tons of raw sewage that's pubbed into the Thames every year. 363 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 1: What about now, because now this tunnel is not operational, 364 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: So where is that waste going at the moment? Currently 365 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 1: that waste is going into the Thames every year. Um, 366 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: where we're standing here a Black Friers bridge. This is 367 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: this is by the fleets here. So the combined mind 368 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: sewerage overflowed, this alone pumps half a million tons of 369 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: raw sewage into the Thames on average every single year. 370 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: So the reason why we're talking about this specific project 371 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: during this episode about green bonds is because part of 372 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: the funding for this project has come from brain bonds. 373 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: Could you tell me more about who is financing this 374 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,400 Speaker 1: project where the money is coming from. So the money 375 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: is coming from a combination of of equity and debt. 376 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 1: So first of all, we've we've had the support from 377 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: shareholders who have invested one point three billion of their 378 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: own money of equity into the company and that's been 379 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,439 Speaker 1: injected as cash and used for the construction of the tunnel. 380 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,920 Speaker 1: We've had a further one point eight billion in green 381 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: bonds of the total three billion of that issued, all 382 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: going into the construction of this asset, and when it 383 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: comes to those grain bunds. In twenty seventeen you publish 384 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: a framework for the issues of said green bunds, which 385 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,879 Speaker 1: was later updated in twenty twenty and also earlier the 386 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:06,199 Speaker 1: CEO is heabrary. What does the framework entail? Concretely? That 387 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: framework is there to ensure that proceeds of the bonds 388 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 1: are being used correctly. Now, in Tideway's case, every single 389 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: penny that we receive is going into a project that's 390 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: delivering massive environmental benefits. When it comes to the actual 391 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,919 Speaker 1: building of this tunnel, what sort of green policies and 392 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: green strategies that are you're putting in place as a 393 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: company during the building phase. One example of that is 394 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: runs fronts us here with the barge Tideways, a massive 395 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: construction project going through the heart of London along the 396 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: River Thames and impacting some of the business business areas 397 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: and with with twenty four construction sites. Now on a 398 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: project of this scale, there's a lot of material being excavated, 399 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: the lots of material needed and enjoying the construction process. 400 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: And what these barges have been doing is taking taking 401 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: a lot of that traffic off of the roads and 402 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: moving it by river. That brings multiple benefits. So in 403 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 1: terms of safety for people in the street, there's there's 404 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: fewer fewer vehicles on the road. That's also taking pollution 405 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: off of the road, delivered in a more environmentally friendly way. Um. 406 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: Some of these bargets are being run on hydrogenated vegetable oil. Now, 407 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,640 Speaker 1: lots of this material that's been excavated. It's it's good 408 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: quality material and in rain Um in Essex we've actually 409 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: used it to create a wetland area for birds. When 410 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: is this project going to be finished and what does 411 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: that mean for you know, the esthetic of the tense 412 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: really So we're entering a new phase in Tyler. So 413 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: with most of the construction complete, all the all the 414 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: type primary tunneling has completed with we've done the majority 415 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: of the secondary lining UM. So the new phase that 416 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: we're entering now is the commissioning. So it's the over 417 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: the next couple of years we'll be doing all the testing, 418 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: making making sure it's operational. Where we're standing here at 419 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 1: Black Friars, this is one of the places where we'll 420 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: have the last thing visible legacy of the project. We 421 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: expect the project to become operational in camil cockin Entrinum, 422 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: head of Treasury at Tideway, Thank you so much for 423 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: joining me. Thank you, Federica, thank you for having me. 424 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: That was our producer Federica roman Yellow and you can 425 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 1: read the China Green Bond story Rebecca Chung Wilkins talked 426 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: about at Bloomberg dot com. Thanks for listening to us 427 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,919 Speaker 1: here at The Big Take, the daily podcast from Bloomberg 428 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:37,679 Speaker 1: and I Heart Radio. For more shows from my Heart Radio, 429 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,399 Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app podcast or wherever you listen. 430 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: Read today's story and subscribe to our daily newsletter at 431 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: Bloomberg dot com. Slash big tag, and we'd love to 432 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: hear from you. Email us with questions or comments to 433 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:59,440 Speaker 1: Big Take at Bloomberg dot net. The supervising producer of 434 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: The Big Take is Vicky Burgalina. Our senior producer is 435 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:07,880 Speaker 1: Katherine Fink. Our producer is Frederica Romaniello. Our associate producer 436 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: is ZENEB Sidiki. Raphael M. Seeley is our engineer. Original 437 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: music by Leo Sidrin. I'm West Cassova. We're taking a 438 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: pause for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, and 439 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: we'll be back on Monday with another big Take. Enjoy 440 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: your weekend,