The framework at a glance
The TCFD's 2017 final recommendations are organised around four core recommendations — one for each pillar — applicable to financial and non-financial companies across industries and jurisdictions.
Beneath the four pillars sit 11 recommended disclosures, the specific pieces of information a company is asked to provide.
The pillars are deliberately broad so they apply to any sector; the disclosures make them concrete.
Pillar 1 — Governance
Governance covers how the organisation oversees climate-related risks and opportunities.
It asks for two disclosures: the board's oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities, and management's role in assessing and managing them.
Pillar 2 — Strategy
Strategy addresses the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on the business, strategy and financial planning.
It includes three disclosures: the risks and opportunities identified over the short, medium and long term; their impact on the business and strategy; and the resilience of the strategy under different climate scenarios, including a 2°C-or-lower scenario.
Scenario analysis is the most demanding part of this pillar, and the area UK SRS S2 firms up most — see scenario analysis under UK SRS.
Pillar 3 — Risk Management
Risk Management covers how the organisation identifies, assesses and manages climate-related risks, and how those processes are integrated into overall risk management.
It carries three disclosures spanning identification and assessment, management, and integration.
Pillar 4 — Metrics & Targets
Metrics & Targets covers the measures used to assess and manage climate risk.
Its three disclosures are: the metrics used; Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse-gas emissions and the related risks; and the targets used and performance against them.
The 11 recommended disclosures
The full set, grouped by pillar:
How it maps to UK SRS S2
The ISSB's IFRS S2 fully incorporates the TCFD recommendations, and the UK's UK SRS S1 and S2 (published 25 February 2026) are the UK endorsement.
For a side-by-side of what changes, see UK SRS vs TCFD; for the successor standard itself, see UK SRS S2.
Frequently asked questions
What are the four pillars of TCFD?
The four TCFD pillars are Governance, Strategy, Risk Management, and Metrics & Targets. They describe how an organisation oversees, plans for, manages and measures climate-related risks and opportunities.
How many TCFD recommendations are there?
There are four core recommendations — one per pillar — supported by 11 recommended disclosures that set out the specific information companies should provide under each pillar.
Are the TCFD pillars still used?
Yes. The four pillars were carried forward almost unchanged into IFRS S2 and the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, so they remain the structure of climate disclosure even though the task force has disbanded.
Does TCFD require scenario analysis?
The Strategy pillar recommends that organisations describe the resilience of their strategy under different climate-related scenarios, including a 2°C-or-lower scenario. Under UK SRS S2 this becomes a firmer requirement.
