FFI Climate Solutions Taxonomy
FFI has developed a comprehensive taxonomy that organizes climate technologies into two key categories: mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation & resilience (responding to physical climate risks). This framework helps stakeholders navigate the rapidly evolving climate technology landscape.
These tables serve as a practical reference for investors, corporate buyers, and solution providers. They highlight technologies and services that are either commercially available or emerging, providing a framework to support discovery, evaluation, and strategic decision-making.
Climate Risk Mitigation Framework
| Decarbonization Segment | Functional Impact Category * | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Intermittent renewable energy | Substitutes | Solar and wind replace fossil-based power generation |
| Sustainable food | Substitutes / Enablers | Alt-proteins = substitutes; food waste tech = enablers |
| Grid infrastructure | Enablers | Supports deployment of renewable energy and system optimization |
| Clean fuels | Conditional Substitutes | Hydrogen, biofuels, waste-to-fuels vary by lifecycle emissions |
| Low-carbon mobility | Substitutes / Enablers | EVs = substitutes; charging infrastructure = enablers |
| Built environment | Substitutes / Enablers | Energy-efficient buildings = substitutes; HVAC & sensors = enablers |
| Industry | Substitutes / Enablers | Green materials = substitutes; process efficiency = enablers |
| Dispatchable energy sources | Substitutes | Baseload clean power (e.g. nuclear, hydro, geothermal) |
| Land use | Enablers / Removals | Ecosystem monitoring = enabler; regenerative ag = removal (potential) |
| Carbon tech | Removals | Includes carbon capture, storage, accounting, and markets |
Adaptation & Resilience Framework
| Adaptation Segment | Functional Impact Category | Physical Climate Risks | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecosystems & Nature | Protective & Resilient Infrastructure | Coastal flooding, storm surge, landslides | Mangroves, dunes, and forests as natural buffers |
| Finance & Insurance | Risk Intelligence & Financial Resilience | Financial losses due to acute events, business interruption | Parametric insurance, catastrophe bonds, resilience-linked lending |
| Early Warning & Climate Data | Risk Intelligence & Financial Resilience | Hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, compound events | Forecasting, climate risk dashboards, alert systems |
| Municipal Infrastructure & Community Resilience | Protective & Resilient Infrastructure | Flooding, extreme precipitation, urban heat, storm surge | Stormwater systems, elevated roads, urban cooling, flood shelters |
| Social & Community Resilience | Heat stress, social vulnerability, extreme heat, air quality, public service breakdown | Green spaces, inclusive planning, resilience hubs, participatory governance, cooling centers, heat alerts, air filtration | |
| Emergency Preparedness & Recovery | Wildfires, hurricanes, compound events | Evacuation systems, disaster planning, resilient logistics | |
| Real Estate & Built Assets | Protective & Resilient Infrastructure | Flooding, wildfire, windstorms, convective storms, heat | Floodproofing, fire-resistant materials |
| Social & Community Resilience | Heatwaves, indoor air quality, energy outages | Green roofs, passive cooling, ventilation | |
| Risk Intelligence & Financial Resilience | Property devaluation, business disruption, insurance availability | Climate risk scoring, resilience-linked insurance | |
| Water | Protective & Resilient Infrastructure | Flooding (riverine, pluvial), extreme precipitation, sea-level rise | Flood barriers, levees, urban drainage |
| Climate-Smart Systems & Ecosystems | Water stress, drought, changing precipitation patterns | Smart irrigation, water reuse, watershed planning | |
| Agriculture & Food Security | Climate-Smart Systems & Ecosystems | Drought, heatwaves, shifting growing seasons, soil degradation | Drought-tolerant crops, regenerative ag, agroforestry |
| Ecosystems & Nature | Climate-Smart Systems & Ecosystems | Flooding, drought, biodiversity loss, heat stress | Wetland restoration, reforestation |