CDP and ICLEI launch unified system for local and regional government reporting
Thursday 18th April: Climate reporting is about to get simpler as leading environmental non-profits CDP and ICLEI come together today to launch their new unified reporting system.
ICLEI is a leading network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments worldwide while CDP is the world’s leading environmental disclosure platform.
Local and regional governments have been calling for a simplified reporting process and in response, both organizations have partnered to streamline how local and regional governments report their climate data.
Through this collaboration, subnational climate data will become more standardized, and therefore more understandable and useful to local and regional governments and their partners.
Björn Hugosson, Chief Climate Officer at the city of Stockholm said:
"As a city that reports to both CDP and ICLEI, we are thrilled that from 2019 we will only need to report once through the unified reporting system and our data will be shared with both organisations. This allows us to work smarter - saving time and resources."
Starting today, local and regional governments will now report through CDP and ICLEI’s new unified system to access an ecosystem of services from both organizations. Local and regional governments will now only have to report once on CDP’s platform and the data will be automatically shared with ICLEI.
Local and regional governments who regularly report their climate data are better able to track their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate change. Those who publicly report their climate data are sharing it with the global marketplace, demonstrating to citizens and local businesses that their city is both future-focused and ripe for investment.
Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability said: “More robust data is needed to help nations strengthen their NDCs and get us on track to achieve the 1.5°C goal. ICLEI actively helps national governments understand the local and subnational contribution to the NDCs and for scaling up implementation action. We are proud to partner with CDP to help strengthen the subnational climate data set, gathered across a number of initiatives ICLEI partners on. Robust, standardized data makes local climate action accessible and intelligible to national and global actors and can assist national governments in incorporating local and regional contributions into national planning.”
From now on, data reported through the unified system is aligned with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’s (GCoM) new Common Reporting Framework. This single reporting framework for city and local government data makes it easier to commit to the GCoM and to participate in other activities and initiatives such as WWF’s One Planet City Challenge which supports local governments in working to limit global warming to 1.5 °C in line with the Paris Agreement.
Due to standardized reporting, local and regional governments which report find themselves eligible to participate in a whole raft of initiatives on renewable energy, buildings efficiency and air pollution and can identify investment needs.
Subnational governments across the world begin their journey to climate leadership with annual reporting. Reporting gives local and regional governments high-quality data and insights which allow them to better manage their resources, assess risk and capitalize on opportunities for investment. Insight informs action and reporting is the first step on a journey to building sustainable low-carbon economies and societies aligned to a 1.5°C pathway.
Kyra Appleby, Global Director of Cities, States and Regions at CDP said: “The latest science tells us that we have only a decade to cut global emissions in half. With over 100 cities getting 70% or more of their energy from renewables, leading cities are already taking strong action. Now we need to raise ambition among all local and regional governments if we are to have hope of securing a 1.5°C future.
This starts with cities, subnational states and regions disclosing their environmental data through the unified reporting system, as they can’t manage what they don’t measure. Never has the need for strong subnational action been more urgent.”
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change said: "Local and regional governments play a critical role in the global effort to achieve the 1.5°C goal under the Paris Agreement. ICLEI and CDP's reporting system will equip them with robust climate data – which will be uploaded to the UN Global Climate Action Portal (NAZCA) – in order to showcase their ambitious targets on the global stage.”
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Notes for editors
For more information or interview requests please contact:
Susan Clandillon, Communications Manager at CDP (Cities, States and Regions)
Tel: 0044 (0) 203 818 3916 Email: [email protected]
Ariel Dekovic, Head of Global Communications at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Tel: +49-(0)228 / 976 299-16 Email: [email protected]
About ICLEI
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 100+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. Our Members and team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability. Visit https://iclei.org or follow us @ICLEI to learn more about our work.
About CDP
CDP is an international non-profit that drives companies and local and regional governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Over 750 cities, states and regions disclosed data through CDP in 2018. This is in addition to the 7,000 companies who disclosed, making CDP’s platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how cities, subnational governments and companies are driving environmental change. Visit https://cdp.net/cities or follow us @CDP to find out more.