blue moon fund

Reducing energy consumption is a critical tool for addressing and mitigating anthropogenic climate change. Representing a small portion of the world’s population, developed nations consume a great deal more energy per capita than much larger developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil which still have largely rural populations. Low rates of greenhouse gas emissions in these nations are directly linked with the consumption patterns of their rural populations. As rural incomes grow, fuel consumption will increase following a typical urban pattern of development from biomass and coal to oil and natural gas. As rural peoples change their fuel consumption patterns, the potential increase in greenhouse gas emissions is enormous. 

Rural development and energy consumption dynamics have not been fully addressed by the international climate change regime. While it is necessary to avoid rapid increases in emissions, the rights of rural people to develop their economies and enjoy modern livelihoods must be respected. Thus far, a comprehensive framework that bolsters these rights but ensures emissions reductions has not been implemented or even fully envisioned. Aid committed by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for rural peoples lacks focus and is motivated by short term political goals rather than long-term environmental considerations. 

Blue moon fund is targeting its grant making with a strategic grasp of programs that address rural energy use and development. Technology deployments, including bio-gas; small scale hydropower; energy efficient cook stoves; and solar arrays, will demonstrate decentralized and ecologically sensitive energy solutions. Our work with rural businesses, such as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and value chain innovators, will provide models to entrepreneurs looking to develop low carbon sustainable economies.  The blue moon fund also partners with a number of unique financial organizations that support sustainable rural development. Examples include the social merchant bank model, which combines technical expertise with flexible financing, and rural carbon funds leveraging emission reductions to benefit the rural communities that are investing in sustainability. Finally, blue moon fund has acted as a convening party, launching our own Rural Development Initiative and hosting a Rural Energy Conference that encouraged cooperation and collaboration of the leading thinkers and actors on these issues. 

We hope that this core group of initiatives will attract more innovators from the NGO and for-profit sector in addition to other financial support in particular major international funders and multi-lateral agencies. In this manner, blue moon fund intends to use its rural energy program as a proven and effective framework for developing low-carbon rural economies. By targeting the technology, finance, and policy of rural energy, blue moon fund hopes to establish a prototype of the future rural energy market. We look forward to working with other donors, practitioners, and rural peoples to achieve these goals. Ultimately, we are working to include integration of rural communities into the next global agreement on climate change in a way that ensures them the right to sustainably develop while also reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.