Climate Change Fund Methodology

In partnership with Giving Green, highly rated charities advancing systemic solutions to climate change.
 

Climate change is an enormous challenge requiring coordinated action across all sectors of society. Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play a critical role in advancing climate change mitigation by leveraging philanthropic funding, fostering systemic changes, and implementing high-impact interventions. This evidence review explores the most effective strategies for NPOs to address climate change mitigation and justifies the selection of initial organizations supported by the Causeway Fund. This review integrates insights from Giving Green’s expertise and the Causeway Fund’s criteria, ensuring alignment with rigorous impact evaluation methodologies.

Importance of Addressing Climate Change

Climate change threatens ecosystems, human livelihoods and wellbeing, and the planet's ability to support future generations. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and sea-level rise exacerbate social and environmental vulnerabilities. Addressing climate change is not just about reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also about building resilient communities and sustainable systems to ensure long-term ecological and human well-being (Donatti et al. 453).

Mitigation efforts directly align with international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These frameworks emphasize the need to reduce emissions, transition to clean energy, protect biodiversity, and ensure sustainable development, particularly for marginalized communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts (Langhammer et al. 457).

Current State of the Climate and Key Needs

The global climate stands at a critical juncture, driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that fuel unprecedented temperature increases and destabilize weather systems. The consequences of these trends are vast, including more frequent and severe natural disasters, rising sea levels, and disruption to ecosystems and human livelihoods. To combat this crisis, coordinated action across multiple domains is essential. One of the most urgent needs is the transition of the energy sector to clean technologies, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and decarbonizing electricity generation. Clean energy solutions, such as wind, solar, and next-generation geothermal, are pivotal in this transition, providing reliable, low-emission power to meet growing global energy demands (Seddon 12). Decarbonization efforts must also address the industrial sector, particularly "hard-to-abate" emissions from heavy industries like steel and cement production. These industries require innovative technologies and policy frameworks to enable cutting emissions to be economically viable.

Agriculture, another major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, demands significant reform. Livestock production alone accounts for up to 65% of emissions from the food system, making it critical to promote sustainable practices and support alternatives, such as plant-based and cultivated proteins (Giving Green 2024 Research). Policies that incentivize such shifts can play a transformative role in reducing emissions.

Policy advocacy is a linchpin in achieving systemic change. Landmark legislation, like the Inflation Reduction Act, has demonstrated the power of coordinated governmental action to drive large-scale decarbonization. Enacting supportive policies that incentivize clean energy adoption and regulate high-emission sectors is crucial for sustained progress (Giving Green, "Draft Systems Change Narrative" 8). These efforts must also be complemented by advancements in carbon removal technologies, which are essential for achieving net-zero emissions. Scaling carbon removal technologies not only addresses historical emissions but also provides a buffer against sectors that are difficult to fully decarbonize (Giving Green 2024 Recommendations).

Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in addressing these needs, bridging the gaps left by market inefficiencies and insufficient governmental interventions. Their work in promoting innovation, advocating for robust policies, and mobilizing resources ensures that progress is both accelerated and equitable. By focusing on these critical areas, nonprofits can drive meaningful action to combat the climate crisis and safeguard a sustainable future.  
 

Most Effective Programs Currently Addressing Climate Change

Effective climate mitigation programs span a range of strategies, each addressing specific facets of the climate crisis. Policy advocacy emerges as one of the most impactful approaches, leveraging legislative and regulatory frameworks to catalyze systemic change. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act represents a landmark achievement, showcasing how coordinated policy efforts can drive large-scale decarbonization and incentivize the adoption of clean technologies (Giving Green, "Draft Systems Change Narrative" 8). Technology development is equally crucial, particularly in fostering innovations that complement renewable energy sources. For example, next-generation geothermal and advanced nuclear energy could play a pivotal role in providing reliable, low-carbon power as part of a diverse portfolio of energy options. These technologies’ comparative advantages, such as ensuring steady power and having smaller footprints, can help address some of the challenges that renewables like wind and solar face. (Giving Green 2024 Recommendations).

Market shaping also plays a transformative role in generating demand for nascent climate solutions, such as alternative proteins and carbon removal technologies. It can help drive down costs and increase access to these solutions, jumpstarting markets for these products and driving systemic change across industries (Giving Green, "2024 Top Climate Nonprofits" 3).

Grassroots mobilization is another vital strategy, empowering local communities to advocate for climate action and build momentum for policy reforms. Such initiatives often bridge the gap between top-down governmental policies and on-the-ground needs, fostering inclusive and participatory approaches to climate mitigation. These movements have been pivotal in driving public support for ambitious climate policies, ensuring that local voices are represented in national and global decision-making (McAdam 5).

Finally, knowledge dissemination underpins all these efforts by providing actionable research and evidence to guide interventions. By generating and sharing insights on cost-effective strategies, nonprofits enable stakeholders to make informed decisions, aligning resources with the most impactful programs. This approach ensures that climate action is grounded in evidence and adapted to the evolving challenges of the crisis (Giving Green’s Research Process).

Together, these strategies represent a holistic approach to climate change mitigation, addressing both immediate needs and long-term systemic transformation. By combining policy advocacy, technological innovation, market shaping, grassroots mobilization, and knowledge dissemination, nonprofit organizations can drive impactful solutions to combat the climate crisis.
 

Understanding Climate Change vs. Environmental Philanthropy

The word "environment" is often used to encompass a wide range of philanthropic activities, such as land conservation, protection of endangered species, and pollution prevention. While these are all vital causes, organizations fighting climate change have a much more focused mission — to prevent the warming of our planet caused by greenhouse gas emissions (Giving Green).

Although there is some overlap between environmental charities and those working on climate change, the specific set of activities necessary to achieve these goals is sometimes in opposition. For example, land conservation efforts may focus on preserving natural beauty, while climate-focused work might prioritize strategies like swiftly building and scaling clean energy infrastructure. Many people believe that fighting climate change is the most critical social issue of our time, as it underpins the health of the planet and its inhabitants and that it may challenge some traditional environmentalist thought. Those donors will want to focus specifically on organizations advancing this mission through targeted interventions that reduce emissions and promote systemic change (Giving Green).