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I4CE launches its publication series on Mainstreaming Low-Carbon Climate-Resilient growth pathways into Development Finance Institutions’ activities

9 October 2015 - Foreword of the week

Development finance institutions (DFIs) are in a position to be key actors in aligning development and the 2° challenge. One of the principal challenges today is to scale-up the financial flows to the trillions of dollars per year necessary to achieve the 2°C long-term objectives. Achieving this transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient (LCCR) economic model requires the integration or ‘mainstreaming’ of climate issues as a prism through which all investment decisions should be made.

To understand how DFIs are currently addressing this challenge, I4CE is conducting a long-term research project with financial support for the first phase from Caisse des Dépots and Agence Française de Développement. The integration or ‘mainstreaming’ of climate change into development finance decisions poses a broad number of operational challenges. Drawing from the current practice of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), this project looks at the approaches, tools and metrics used by DFIs to integrate both mitigation and adaptation objectives into investment decision making.

Through targeted in depth case studies and an extensive review of public reports, the project aims to facilitate learning between DFIs through profiles of current practice. Second, the project identifies in practice the paradigm shift needed to integrate climate and development objectives to establish a ‘LCCR development model’ able to simultaneously tackling development priorities and needs for resilient, low-carbon growth. This will necessitate a move from focusing on a ‘siloed’ vision of climate finance to a means of aligning activities across the economy with the LCCR objectives to ensure that the majority of investments are coherent with this long-term transition

Working with individual institutions, the project will identify opportunities for DFIs to further develop qualitative and quantitative assessments of the contribution of their interventions to the ‘low-carbon transformation’ of a given country’s economy.

Publications in this series include:

To learn more
  • 01/23/2026 Foreword of the week
    Financing carbon farming practices: lessons learnt in France can reinforce the EU level initiatives

    In a challenging economic and political context, especially for the agriculture sector, some incentive schemes can still help bring stakeholders together in climate transition and resilience initiatives. This is the case with carbon certification schemes, which both ensure the credibility of the climate impact of the actions implemented and provide remuneration for farmers and foresters for changes in practices. Some of these measures, such as replacing mineral fertilisers (mostly imported) with organic fertilisers, also help to meet the sector’s needs for resilience and strategic independence, which are crucial in the current context.

  • 01/21/2026 Blog post
    On Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming the devil is in…the demand

    The implementation of carbon farming practices on European farms and in European forests is a lever for achieving carbon neutrality, but also for farm resilience, the adaptation of forest stands to climate change and for contributing to our strategic independence. Certifying and financing low-carbon practices is the objective of the CRCF (Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming) regulation, which will come into effect in 2026. Now seems the right time to draw lessons from six years of experience with a similar standard in France: the “Label Bas-Carbone” (Low Carbon Label – LBC). The results show that striking a balance between scientific rigour and accessibility for stakeholders has led to the development of a substantial range of projects. However, the real challenge is to build sufficient and appropriate demand to finance the projects. There is no miracle solution, but complementary financing channels may emerge. 

  • 01/16/2026 Blog post
    CBAM and fertilisers: ring-fencing budgets to help farmers reduce their use of mineral fertilisers

    The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) came into force on 1 January 2026. It is a carbon tax applied at the borders of the European Union to imports of certain industrial products covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Nitrogen-based mineral fertilisers are included in this initial list of products. To avoid an increase in costs for the farmers concerned, the level of the tax has been reduced for fertilisers, and they may even be temporarily excluded from the scope of the CBAM. Yet, for the climate, but also for France’s strategic independence and food sovereignty, the CBAM will ultimately have to be fully applied to mineral fertilisers. To limit or even avoid an increase in farmers’ fertiliser expenditure, we need public policies – some of which are currently under threat. Ring-fencing budgets for these policies would be a way to support farmers’ incomes and the food sovereignty of both the European Union and France, while reducing the carbon footprint of our food system. 

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