COACCH · Project

Climate Cost Models That Tell Business Exactly What Climate Change Will Cost Them

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Imagine you run a business and someone tells you "climate change will cost you" — but nobody can say how much, where, or when. That's the gap COACCH filled. A team of 14 organizations across 7 countries built detailed economic models that calculate climate change costs sector by sector — from agriculture and energy to infrastructure and health. Think of it as a financial stress test, but for climate risk instead of banking risk. They worked directly with businesses, investors, and policymakers to make sure the results are actually usable, not just academic papers gathering dust.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe

countries represented in the consortium

market sectors covered (agriculture, forestry, fishery, industry, services, energy, built environment, infrastructure)

total deliverables produced

SMEs in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Most businesses know climate change will affect their bottom line, but they cannot put a reliable number on it. Current estimates are too broad — national averages that ignore regional differences, sector-specific risks, and the possibility of sudden tipping points. Without accurate cost projections, companies over-invest in the wrong areas or under-prepare for real threats.

The solution

What was built

COACCH produced 32 deliverables including spatially-explicit climate impact models with subnational resolution, macroeconomic damage functions covering 8 market sectors, protocols for impact assessment and model integration, and best-practice guides for co-designed climate research with end users.

Audience

Who needs this

Insurance and reinsurance companies pricing climate-related riskInfrastructure operators assessing long-term asset vulnerabilityAgri-food companies planning for shifting climate patternsReal estate investment firms evaluating regional climate exposureEnergy utilities modeling demand and supply disruption scenarios

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Insurance & Reinsurance

enterprise

Target: Property and casualty insurers, reinsurance firms

If you are an insurer struggling to price climate-related risks accurately — COACCH developed downscaled climate damage functions covering 8 market sectors including built environment and infrastructure. These models let you move beyond rough estimates to region-specific cost projections that account for tipping points and extreme events. The consortium tested these with real end users from the investment community throughout the project.

Agriculture & Food Production

mid-size

Target: Large-scale farming operations, agri-food companies

If you are an agricultural business trying to plan investments when climate patterns are shifting — COACCH built spatially-explicit impact models covering agriculture, forestry, and fishery across Europe. These models assess both direct market costs and broader economic ripple effects at subnational resolution. The project covered 7 European countries with partners who understand local conditions.

Infrastructure & Real Estate

enterprise

Target: Infrastructure operators, real estate investment trusts, urban developers

If you manage infrastructure assets and need to know which regions and asset types face the highest climate costs — COACCH produced climate damage functions for built environment and infrastructure that include extreme events and tipping points. Their macroeconomic models work at subnational resolution, meaning you can get cost estimates for specific regions rather than vague national averages.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access COACCH climate cost models?

The project was publicly funded EU research (RIA), so core outputs including protocols and damage functions are likely available through open access channels. Commercial licensing terms for specific model integrations would need to be discussed with the coordinator, Fondazione CMCC in Italy.

Can these models work at industrial scale for portfolio-wide climate risk assessment?

Yes — the models were specifically designed with subnational resolution and macroeconomic integration. They cover 8 market sectors (agriculture, forestry, fishery, industry, services, energy, built environment, infrastructure) and 2 non-market sectors (ecosystems, health). The co-design approach with end users from business and investment communities was built into the project from day one.

What is the IP situation — can we license the damage functions?

As an RIA project, intellectual property typically stays with the consortium partners. The coordinator CMCC is a major European climate research center. Licensing or collaboration arrangements for the climate damage functions would need direct discussion with the consortium. Based on available project data, the outputs were designed to be 'accessible to various users.'

How do COACCH models handle uncertainty and extreme scenarios?

The project explicitly tackled decision-making under uncertainty, comparing different criteria for valuation. It also explored climate tipping points and introduced the concept of climate-induced socio-economic tipping points — meaning the models go beyond gradual change to account for sudden, severe shifts.

What regions and timeframes do the models cover?

The consortium spanned 7 countries (AT, CZ, DE, ES, IT, NL, UK) with 14 partners. The models cover short to long-term scenarios across Europe with subnational resolution using statistical downscaling techniques. The project ran from 2017 to 2021, so the models reflect current climate science.

Can these tools integrate with our existing risk management systems?

The project produced 32 deliverables including protocols for information exchange flows and model integration. This suggests the team designed outputs with interoperability in mind. The co-design process with business and investment end users throughout the project likely addressed practical integration needs.

Consortium

Who built it

The 14-partner consortium across 7 countries is heavily research-weighted: 9 research organizations, 3 universities, and only 1 industry partner (7% industry ratio). This tells a business buyer that the science is solid but the commercial translation is still early. The coordinator, Fondazione CMCC in Italy, is one of Europe's leading climate research centers — a credible partner but not a commercial vendor. The 3 SMEs in the consortium suggest some entrepreneurial interest, but the overall profile is academic. A company looking to use these tools would likely need a technology integrator or consultancy to bridge the gap between research output and operational deployment.

FONDAZIONE CENTRO EURO-MEDITERRANEOSUI CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICICoordinator · IT
STICHTING VUparticipant · NL
CLIMATE ANALYTICS gGmbHparticipant · DE
MINISTERIE VAN INFRASTRUCTUUR EN WATERSTAATparticipant · NL
FONDAZIONE ENI ENRICO MATTEIparticipant · IT
POTSDAM-INSTITUT FUR KLIMAFOLGENFORSCHUNG EVparticipant · DE
GCF - GLOBAL CLIMATE FORUM EVparticipant · DE
STICHTING DELTARESparticipant · NL
INTERNATIONALES INSTITUT FUER ANGEWANDTE SYSTEMANALYSEparticipant · AT
ASOCIACION BC3 BASQUE CENTRE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE - KLIMA ALDAKETA IKERGAIparticipant · ES
UNIVERZITA KARLOVAparticipant · CZ
UNIVERSITAET GRAZparticipant · AT
ECOLOGIC INSTITUT GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBHparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Italy — a leading European climate research center

Order a report on this consortium See FONDAZIONE CENTRO EURO-MEDITERRANEOSUI CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICI profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how COACCH climate damage models could strengthen your risk assessment? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the research team and help translate their outputs into your business context.

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