Join Climate Data Collaborative (CDC)

Join the Climate Data Collaborative

Empowering Climate Action Through Open-Source Greenhouse Gas Data

The Climate Data Collaborative (CDC) is an initiative at the Data Foundation designed to address a critical need for reliable and standardized data that helps quantify and verify climate mitigation activities across the United States. By supporting efforts that strengthen methods of quantifying and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and removals in the United States, the Climate Data Collaborative is designed to build consensus, encourage data sharing, and enable local decision-makers to make informed decisions about climate-related activities.

The Climate Data Collaborative is convening a range of partners to ensure that the National Strategy to Advance an Integrated Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System results in a strong, lasting climate data infrastructure. The Climate Data Collaborative is working to support an infrastructure across key federal agencies and external partners that reflects the needs and experience of policymakers, communities, and industry.

Our Mission

To establish a permanent, independent hub that brings together policymakers, investors, and stakeholders, facilitating the development of open-source GHG protocols, data, analytical tools, and stories that inform and support climate mitigation actions at the project level.

Why We're Needed:

Decision-makers are actively seeking to encourage investments in “climate-smart” activities and otherwise take effective, efficient, and prudent actions that will measurably and verifiably reduce emissions and remove carbon, methane, and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.
The U.S. lacks consistent, reliable methods to quantify and confirm GHG reductions and removals for multiple important GHG sources and sinks. Even where important GHG data are already being collected, the information may not be accessible or formatted in a way that is understandable and actionable for policymakers, community leaders, companies, and other important user groups.
Data collection and standards vary widely within the federal government and among states, tribes, industry, and non-governmental organizations. For example, new technology and data collection tools that can greatly improve GHG measurement and monitoring at the project level for nature-based solutions and for significant sources of GHG “super-pollutants” – such as methane and nitrous oxides – are not being systematically adopted and made available for public review and use.
The federal government's National Strategy to Advance an Integrated Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System recognizes these deficiencies and provides an opportunity to leverage federal resources and knowledge to tackle the problem with the help of strategic external partners who can act as consistent and trusted intermediaries

Our Approach:

Collaboration and Building Coalitions – By creating space for collaboration, we are working with key partners and stakeholders to create an ecosystem to share information on GHG protocols, data, and analytical tools, including building infrastructure and establishing governance structures.
Making Data Easier to Access and Understand – Creating tools that can be understood by users of all types is critical both for decision-making and for identifying stories that illustrate the path forward.
Demonstrating Value – Making the case for climate data investments to policymakers, investors, and philanthropy, we are highlighting the value of standardizing GHG data by developing use cases that share stories from across the United States.
Creating Resources – Through relevant research and coordination, developing useful resources to identify data needs, design capabilities, and encourage participation.
Enabling Change – Leveraging expertise and open data to enable policy activities that support the availability of high-quality, accessible climate data.