20 November 2018: A knowledge platform, hosted by the partnership between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), collects, shares and tracks information on international cooperative climate initiatives driven by non-State actors. The searchable portal, known as the Climate Initiatives Platform (CIP), features nearly 250 available initiatives spanning sectors on finance, transportation, agriculture, cities, energy, adaptation, non-carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and waste.
The CIP features three primary sections on:
- International climate initiatives’ (ICIs) impacts, which has been built into an overarching monitoring and reporting framework;
- Analysis of the initiatives by: geographical region; type of lead organization, whether business, civil society or government; and activity covered, be it political/technical dialogue, implementation, capacity building or funding; and
- Success stories that showcase achievements and metrics from featured initiatives that span the breadth of the portal’s issue areas.
The CIP is accompanied by a recently launched report published by the Nordic Council of Ministers titled, ‘The Climate Initiatives Platform: Towards Greater Transparency in International Cooperative Climate Initiatives (ICIs).’ The report introduces an impact monitoring framework for measuring and comparing progress across the different types of initiatives, and informing CIP’s strategy for going forward. It also outlines initiatives’ current coverage and progress relative to potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the sectors noted above.
ICI self-reporting is important for evaluating the progress and “actual impact” of initiatives to date.
CIP data, the report notes, are used in landmark reports such as the UNEP Emissions Gap Report, the 2018 edition of which was launched on 27 November. Data for cooperative climate initiatives on the UNFCCC’s NAZCA platform are also provided by the CIP. The report emphasizes the importance of ICI self-reporting in order to evaluate the progress and “actual impact” of initiatives to date. The report finds that CIP sectors are well covered, but to varying degrees relative to emission reductions requisite to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The CIP and report contribute to a variety of targets under SDGs 13 (climate action) and 17 (partnerships for the Goals). On the latter Goal, they particularly support target 17.18 on data, monitoring and accountability under the ‘Systemic Issues’ sub-section. Other categories within SDG 17 include trade, capacity building, technology and finance.
The CIP was initially developed in 2014, and is currently hosted through a project funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. In 2018, the platform added sections on analysis and mobility, and improved its participants information. [Publication: Towards Greater Transparency in International Cooperative Climate Initiatives] [Publication Landing Page] [Climate Initiatives Platform]