Climate Action Tracker

Partner Organisations

Ecofys was established in 1984 with the vision of achieving “sustainable energy for everyone”, and has become a leading expert in renewable energy, carbon efficiency, energy systems and markets, as well as climate policies. Ecofys creates smart, effective, practical and sustainable solutions for and with public and corporate clients all over the world. With offices in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and the US, Ecofys employs over 250 experts dedicated to solving energy and climate challenges.

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) conducts research into global climate change and issues of sustainable development. Set up in 1992, the Institute is regarded as a pioneer in interdisciplinary research and as one of the world's leading establishments in this field. Scientists, economists and social scientists work together, investigating how the earth is changing as a system, studying the ecological, economic and social consequences of climate change, and assessing which strategies are appropriate for sustainable development.

Funders

European Climate Foundation (ECF)

Project Period

The project started in September 2009 and is ongoing.

The "Climate Action Tracker" is an independent science-based assessment, which tracks the emission commitments and actions of countries. The website provides an up-to-date assessment of individual national pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

World leaders have agreed to hold warming to below 2°C above preindustrial levels – and more than 100 of the world’s most vulnerable countries have demanded an even lower goal of below 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. But World leaders need to know how fast to reduce emissions to achieve these goals and whether in fact this action is taking place.

In other words, we need to know how far we have come: who is doing what, with what level of success and what is the potential for further action? Armed with this knowledge, we can determine what action needs to happen, where, and how we can support it.

The Climate Action Tracker was launched in November 2009 and assesses both developed and developing countries emission reduction pledges. Starting in 2011 the project also started to evaluate national implementation of policies that are relevant for GHG emissions.

Objectives

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has been developed to aid the climate negotiation process. Its aim is to provide objective, science-based information to governments, the media and campaign organisations, to provide information that will spur further climate action.

Governments need objective, independent, science-based analysis to evaluate their own efforts, inform policy decisions, learn from others, and challenge other countries to do more.
The media needs this information to shine a light beneath the complex pledges and press releases on to what governments’ actions really are, what this means for emissions and hence fully inform the public. Informed public opinion can further pressure governments to do more.
Campaign organisations need this information to focus their efforts in the right areas, provide robust scientific backing to their claims and to mobilise citizens in challenging their governments to do more.
International climate negotiations need advanced and objective analysis of what countries are pledging to do and are actually doing and what this means for global climate goals. With a new instrument being negotiated and a review of international climate action due to be conducted by 2015 the CAT can play a major role in providing assessments of what countries are actually doing and what it means for the climate.

For more information about the project visit the Climate Action Tracker website