The Institute for Climate Economics

What The Institute for Climate Economics does

I4CE (Institut de l'économie pour le climat) is an independent, non-profit think tank established in 2015 under French law (Association loi 1901) and co-founded by Caisse des Dépôts and Agence française de développement (AFD). It produces economic analysis to translate climate objectives into public policies and concrete investment decisions, covering three transitions (energy, agriculture, forest) and six economic challenges (investment, public finance, carbon pricing, development finance, financial regulation, and carbon certification). Its primary audiences are public decision-makers at local, national, European, and international levels, with a secondary audience of private-sector enterprises and financial institutions.

The institute's offerings are a portfolio of research outputs rather than technology products. These include in-depth studies (Études Climat), analytical briefs (Billets d'analyse), concise points (Points Climat), opinion pieces (Tribunes), a weekly newsletter, and thematic expert networks called Climate Clubs (Agriculture-Food and Forestry-Wood). Flagship publications include the annual Panorama des financements climat, the Landscape of Climate Finance in France, and the State of Europe's Climate Investment Report. Distribution is direct-to-audience via i4ce.org under Creative Commons licensing, supplemented by Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and participation in international events (COPs, European conferences, Carbon Farming Summit). There is no commercial pricing model.

I4CE operates on institutional funding and grants from its two founding institutions and project-based collaborators including the European Commission (Horizon 2020/ERA4CS), Climate-KIC, Climate Works Foundation, the World Bank, CICERO Climate Finance, Météo France, Carbone 4, INRAE, and ONF. The organization is headquartered in Paris (30 rue de Fleurus) with 41 full-time-equivalent staff as of 2024 (up from 39 in 2023), and it has been committed to carbon neutrality since 2019, with a 2024 footprint of 141 tCO2e (3.4 tCO2e per employee).

Name

The Institute for Climate Economics

Legal name

Institute for Climate Economics

Website

https://i4ce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

I4CE is a French non-profit think tank founded in 2015 by Caisse des Dépôts and AFD that produces independent economic analysis on climate finance, carbon pricing, and transition policy for public decision-makers, financial institutions, and European/international stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Economics Research and Policy Advisory

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Finance Strategy (CapEx planning, green finance, incentives & grants) (EUABAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Risk Reporting & Disclosure Analytics (TCFD/ISSB, EU Taxonomy, CSRD, NAIC) (EUABALAG), Transition Risk Modeling & Policy/Market Pathways (Carbon Price, Regulation, Technology Adoption) (EUABALAD), Climate Target-Setting, Transition Planning & Performance Management Platforms (EUABAEAF), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Climate economics research
• Climate finance analysis
• Carbon pricing policy
• Climate investment tracking
• Transition policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional funding and grants: I4CE is a non-profit association of general interest (association d'intérêt général), created in 2015 by the Caisse des Dépôts and the Agence française de développement. It operates on institutional funding, grants, and project-based collaborations with public institutions. All content is freely reusable (CC).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE) is an independent non-profit think tank that produces economic analyses, research studies, databases, and expert networks to translate climate objectives into public policies and private investment decisions. Its offerings include a portfolio of climate economics publications (Études Climat, Billets d'analyse, Points Climat, Tribunes), flagship annual reports (Panorama des financements climat, State of Europe's Climate Investment), and thematic expert networking communities (Climate Clubs in Agriculture-Food and Forestry-Wood), all freely distributed online under Creative Commons.

Product overview

I4CE is a non-profit think tank organized as an association d'intérêt général, founded in 2015 by Caisse des Dépôts and Agence française de développement. The organization functions as a research and analysis institute rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of climate economics publications (including flagship reports like Panorama des financements climat and State of Europe's Climate Investment), expert networking platforms (Climate Clubs), and a weekly newsletter. These offerings are distributed primarily through its website and represent a portfolio of research outputs rather than a unified software platform or module-based architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Economics Publications (Études Climat, Billets d'analyse, Points Climat, Tribunes) Core research output portfolio of I4CE including in-depth studies (Études Climat), analytical briefs (Billets d'analyse), concise points (Points Climat), and opinion pieces (Tribunes). Covers climate finance landscapes, investment analysis, carbon pricing, and transition financing strategies. Distributed freely under Creative Commons to public and private decision-makers.
• Climate Clubs (Clubs Climat) — Agriculture-Food and Forestry-Wood Thematic expert networks run by I4CE for knowledge exchange and dialogue among practitioners, researchers, and policymakers on climate issues in the agricultural and forestry sectors. Includes the Agriculture-Food Climate Club and the Forestry-Wood (Carbon Forest and Wood) Climate Club.
• Panorama des financements climat (annual flagship report) Annual comprehensive study tracking climate investments and financial flows in France, providing detailed analysis of public and private investment in climate action and financing mechanisms. Referenced as a flagship publication.
• State of Europe's Climate Investment Report Flagship report analyzing climate investment across the European Union, providing data and analysis on investment levels, gaps, and pathways needed to meet EU climate targets.
• Landscape of Climate Finance in France Ongoing project mapping climate finance in France, providing comprehensive analysis of investment and financial flows supporting low-carbon and climate-resilient development since 2014.

Quantifiable outcome

• Decarbonation investments by territorial authorities increased by +42% since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• World BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on carbon pricing policies and climate finance, including joint events at COP22 and joint publications on carbon revenue use in developing countries. I4CE provided analysis feeding into World Bank initiatives on carbon pricing leadership.
• AFD (project-level)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development of climate finance research including studies on carbon revenue use in developing countries, financial intermediation, and domestic climate finance landscapes in partner countries.
• CICERO Climate Finance (Norway)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead coordinator of the ClimINVEST European project (2017–2021) that brought together climate experts and financial institutions across Europe to address physical climate risk integration in finance.
• Météo FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ClimINVEST project; collaborated with I4CE and Carbone 4 on physical climate risk analysis with French banking institutions.
• Carbone 4minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ClimINVEST project; collaborated with I4CE and Météo France on physical climate risk analysis for financial institutions.
• ONF (Office National des Forêts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Carbon Forest and Wood Club, contributing to expertise sharing on forestry and climate change mitigation.
• INRA / INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated expert in the Agriculture-Food and Forestry-Wood Climate Clubs; provides agronomic and environmental research expertise.
• Permanent Assembly of Agriculture Chambers (APCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Agriculture-Food Climate Club, contributing expertise on agricultural policy and transition.
• Wageningen Environmental Research (Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of ClimINVEST European consortium; contributed to climate adaptation services and visualization of climate indicators.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carbone 4: French climate consultancy and research firm specializing in carbon strategy, transition financing, and physical climate risk for financial institutions. I4CE and Carbone 4 explicitly co-developed the ClimINVEST project alongside Météo France, indicating deep methodological and customer-base overlap in France.
• The Shift Project: French think tank focused on the energy transition and post-carbon economy. Comparable as a French non-profit producing influential climate-economic analysis with similar audience (policymakers, businesses, media) and Creative Commons-style open publication model.
• CICERO Climate Finance: Norway-based climate finance research center that acted as lead coordinator of the ClimINVEST European project with I4CE. Focuses on second-party opinions, green bonds, and climate risk integration in finance — directly comparable to I4CE's financial regulation and green finance workstreams.
• Climate Policy Initiative: Global climate finance think tank producing landmark analyses of climate investment flows and policy effectiveness. Most directly comparable to I4CE's Panorama des financements climat and State of Europe's Climate Investment work, with overlapping funders and methodologies.
• IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations): Paris-based think tank producing independent research on sustainable development, climate policy, and governance. Shares I4CE's positioning as a French-rooted, internationally-engaged policy research outfit with overlapping funder base and topics.
• Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP): Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis on environment, climate, and sustainable development for EU institutions. Comparable in role (independent policy research) and target audience (EU policymakers and member-state officials), with similar non-profit funding model.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization working at the intersection of climate, finance, and sustainable development. Operates at significantly larger scale than I4CE and produces comparable policy-grade analysis (e.g., on climate finance, carbon pricing) that competes for the same policymaker audience.
• Climate-KIC: EU-backed climate innovation community and knowledge hub funded under Horizon programs. Climate-KIC is both a peer (co-funding I4CE's research via Climactio and ClimINVEST) and a broader platform for climate innovation, education, and entrepreneurship spanning the EU.

Regional players

• France Stratégie: French government's strategic foresight and evaluation body attached to the Prime Minister. Produces long-term economic and policy analysis including on climate transition. Comparable as a France-based, publicly-funded research outfit addressing economic policy questions, though broader in scope than I4CE's climate specialization.

Emerging players

• Climate Action Tracker (CAT): Independent scientific assessment of government climate pledges and policies, produced by consortium of research organizations. Overlaps with I4CE's policy-evaluation mandate, particularly on EU climate investment gap analysis, though narrower in scope (policy tracking rather than full economics).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/I4CE_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLZEgZVIiYP6TSDrid7A3mQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i4ce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Institute for Climate Economics