Developing Your Investment Plan: A Step-by-Step Process for Climate Adaptation

Developing Your Investment Plan: A Step-by-Step Process for Climate Adaptation

The CLIMATEFIT consortium has released a new deliverable, Develop your Investment Plan (D3.1), which presents a structured methodology to help European territories transform their adaptation strategies into a pipeline of credible, finance-ready projects.

This methodology defines a 5-stage Investment Planning process that guides public authorities and their financial partners from early diagnosis to project implementation:

1. Set objectives and rationale – Align local adaptation goals with broader climate and resilience strategies.
2. Assess risks and prioritise options – Evaluate vulnerabilities and identify priority measures over time.
3. Cost adaptation packages – Estimate investment needs and group measures into coherent, costed packages.
4. Build the economic and financial case – Analyse benefits, returns and financing structures to demonstrate viability.
5. Create a project pipeline – Translate plans into a sequence of implementable and fundable actions.

Beyond methodology, the CLIMATEFIT process emphasises the enabling conditions required for successful investment – such as regulatory reforms, institutional capacity, and collaboration between public and private actors.

By following this approach, territories can move from planning to investment mobilisation, ensuring that climate resilience is not only a strategic ambition but also a financially grounded reality.