New Atmospheric Impact Initiative Helps Decision-Makers Compare, Scale High-Impact Climate Solutions

(NEW YORK, September 23, 2026) The Atmospheric Impact Initiative (Aii) launched today during Climate Week NYC as an independent nonprofit that helps decision-makers identify and scale high-impact climate solutions. Its flagship Atmospheric Impact Framework (AIF) translates rigorous climate science into a common unit, providing a consistent, science-based way to compare fundamentally different solutions based on their expected atmospheric benefit.

“As climate change takes a growing toll on communities, economies, and ecosystems, the need to scale effective solutions is increasingly urgent,” said Sara Meyers, Executive Director of the Atmospheric Impact Initiative. “Climate solutions are multiplying fast, but their impact varies widely, and decision-makers lack a consistent way to compare them. We developed the Atmospheric Impact Framework to bring greater clarity to those differences so the solutions that deliver the greatest climate benefit are the ones that scale.”

Protecting a forest, capturing methane, and removing carbon dioxide from the air can each count as a ton, but they keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere for different lengths of time, with varying levels of certainty. The framework works on top of existing quantification approaches, adding a common basis for comparison without replacing them. It evaluates factors that shape a solution’s expected climate impact, including durability, additionality, measurement certainty, and leakage, then translates that analysis into a common unit. Rather than treating all tons as equivalent, the framework makes those differences visible and shows what drives them.

Aii is initially applying the framework to voluntary carbon markets, where the comparability problem is already visible: two credits can each represent one ton on paper yet deliver very different real-world climate impact. The framework complements registries, standards bodies, ratings agencies, and other existing systems by adding a common, science-based basis for comparison. As the framework incorporates more methodologies and demonstrates real-world utility, Aii aims to expand its application across corporate climate strategies, finance, philanthropy, and policy.

Incubated and developed by Three Cairns Group, Aii built the framework as independent, public-interest infrastructure that is transparent, open to scrutiny, and designed to improve over time. More than 200 individuals from over 150 organizations contributed through ten workshops during the framework’s development. Aii also conducts ongoing research in partnership with RAND Corporation and publishes findings in peer-reviewed journals.

To learn more about Atmospheric Impact Initiative and explore the Atmospheric Impact Framework, visit atmosphericimpact.org.