Climate Resilience Principles

The Climate Resilience Principles, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative in September 2019, provide a framework for integrating climate adaptation and resilience criteria into the Climate Bonds Standard & Certification Scheme. The document defines climate resilience investments as those improving the ability of assets and systems to persist, adapt, or transform against climate-related stresses. It establishes a three-part framework—Framing, Design, and Ongoing Management—to ensure that green bond proceeds are used for assets that are 'fit-for-purpose' and do no significant harm to the broader system. The report also addresses the potential for trade-offs between climate mitigation and resilience goals, suggesting that mitigation requirements might be relaxed for assets providing exceptional resilience benefits in high-risk contexts.

• The Climate Resilience Principles establish a three-part framework for assessing investments: Framing Principles (defining boundaries and interdependencies), Design Principles (conducting physical climate risk and benefit assessments), and Ongoing Management Principles (requiring annual verification of monitoring and evaluation).
• Climate resilience investments are categorized into two types: asset-focused investments, which ensure an asset is 'fit-for-purpose' over its design lifespan, and system-focused investments, which are explicitly intended to deliver resilience benefits to the broader system.
• To be eligible for certification under the Climate Bonds Standard, assets must be 'fit-for-purpose'—meaning they meet minimum risk tolerance levels and can deliver services over their operational lifetime—and must 'do no significant harm' to climate resilience, such as by increasing GHG emissions or creating path dependency.
• Physical climate risk assessments must evaluate three dimensions: the climate change hazard (shocks or stresses), exposure (geographical and sectoral position), and vulnerability (sensitivity to losses).
• The framework requires the use of multiple climate scenarios for risk assessments, specifically mandating Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 at a minimum, and RCP 4.5 where available.
• The document proposes a qualitative approach to 'mitigation trade-offs,' where climate mitigation requirements may be lowered for assets whose resilience benefits considerably outweigh their emissions, particularly in countries with high climate risks and limited responsibility for global GHG emissions.
• Global financial needs for climate resilience are significant, with an estimated USD 200 billion required annually within twenty years to combat losses from climate impacts.
• The report identifies several barriers to climate resilience investment, including a lack of common definitions and taxonomies, a mismatch between investor and issuer time horizons, and the difficulty of quantifying and monetizing resilience outcomes.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2019). Climate Resilience Principles. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Climate-Resilience-Principles-A-framework-for-assessing-climate-resilience-investments.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Climate Resilience Principles. 2019. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Climate-Resilience-Principles-A-framework-for-assessing-climate-resilience-investments.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Climate Resilience Principles |date=September 2019 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Climate-Resilience-Principles-A-framework-for-assessing-climate-resilience-investments.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2019climate, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Climate Resilience Principles}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Climate-Resilience-Principles-A-framework-for-assessing-climate-resilience-investments.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }