The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) has launched a framework to help asset owners align their portfolios with global climate goals and decarbonisation.

The Climate Solutions Investing Framework, which was published during London Climate Action Week, acts as a guide for identifying investment strategies that contribute to limiting global warming to 2°C.

According to the GIIN, the framework comes amid increasing demand from asset owners for practical tools to assess the credibility of climate-aligned investment opportunities, without requiring deep expertise in climate science or complex market modelling.

Speaking to Impact Investor, Sean Gilbert, chief investor network officer at the GIIN said: “The framework provides a pathway for investors to find strategies that deliver a financial return and are intentional in seeking to construct a portfolio that lands on the combination of investments that are sufficient to help the world meet its climate goals.”

He said that the framework will help highlight “specific practices that investors can look for in investing strategies, such as working with a thesis, understanding transition pathways and using qualitative and quantitative tools to assess investments. Through this intentional approach, asset owners can better know the extent to which they will prioritise investments that are the most impactful for a climate transition”.

Climate solutions investing is distinct from other climate strategies as it focuses on enabling and scaling technologies and assets that reduce emissions across the broader economy, rather than just lowering a portfolio’s operational emissions, according to the report.

As such, the framework stresses the importance of evaluating sufficiency and systemic impact, thereby acknowledging that not all climate-labelled strategies contribute equally to decarbonisation.

A core focus of the framework is climate mitigation – investments that remove, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions at scale. 

The framework is structured around two main pillars: foundational concepts and criteria for evaluation. The foundational concepts attempt to distinguish climate solutions investing from broader ESG or more adaptation-focused strategies. 

The framework’s evaluation criteria are built around four components that apply across all asset classes. First is the climate thesis, which looks at the importance of clearly defining how investment decisions align with climate goals.

The second is quantification – using reliable methods to measure how a strategy contributes to broader decarbonisation efforts. The third component is prioritisation, ensuring that climate impact goals are set using a thoughtful, science-based approach that considers the specific context, according to the GIIN.

Finally, uncertainty management highlights the need for transparency in how assumptions are made, how research evolves, and how outcomes are tracked over time.

“Climate investing has matured beyond simple exclusions or green labels,” said a GIIN spokesperson. “This framework empowers asset owners to prioritise investments that are truly catalytic, supporting not just emissions reductions, but the broader transition to a low-carbon economy.”