Physical climate risks—the direct impacts of climate change on people, assets, and economic activities—are climbing up the agenda for the finance sector as asset damage, supply chain disruption, and broader economic instability affect balance sheets. The need to finance climate adaptation—solutions that protect against these impacts—is creating a multi-billion-dollar investment opportunity.

However, climate adaptation remains a relatively new and complex area, with limited shared understanding of what qualifies as an “adaptation investment.” The absence of clear, consistent and comparable definitions makes it difficult to identify, assess and scale adaptation-related financing opportunities. Sustainable finance taxonomies have the potential to address this gap by providing structured, standardised definitions.

The Adaptation Finance Taxonomy Playbook supports the implementation of taxonomy approaches through practical, decision-useful tools, which are downloaded alongside the playbook as an excel file. Financial institutions can apply these tools in real-world settings to more effectively identify, assess and scale adaptation finance opportunities across jurisdictions.

Download the playbook and tools

Register for the launch webinar, 7 July 2026, 14:00-15:00 CEST

This Playbook has been developed under the Climate Adaptation Innovation and Learning project. This project is financed by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by UNIDO, in partnership with Climate KIC, the Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment Working Group, and UNEP FI. We are developing a unique knowledge platform for climate adaptation–a hub to drive innovation and boost private sector engagement.