Climate related standards in assessing infrastructure projects

Against the backdrop of the increasingly urgent need to take account of climate change considerations in government and private sector decision making, the consortium was contracted by DG Climate to develop a set of climate standards to assess investment and infrastructure projects. The aim of the study was to analyse the current practice of including climate-related factors in infrastructure investment decisions, resulting in recommendations on how to build on, improve and mainstream these practices.

Results included the development of evidence-based guidance on how best to incorporate climate issues into the appraisal of investment projects funded by the EU budget, also providing recommendations on how to influence wider policy development both within and outside the EU. The approach taken was to conduct an in-depth analysis of currently-applied systems in EU based banks (EBRD, EIB), private sector companies and EU funds available for investment projects (cohesion fund). adelphi contributed its long-standing experience in the private sector with banks and companies, especially those from outside Europe. Several workshops and consultation meetings were conducted with key stakeholders within the European Commission and outside.

The results were presented to DG Climate and representatives of other DGs during a final workshop in Brussels.