Acting on climate change and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions requires access to reliable data. Through measuring our current impacts on the environment and comparing those to past and future levels, we can support taking adequate action to address the climate crisis.

Google has released an online tool called the Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE), which is currently providing more than 100 cities worldwide with data enabling them to track greenhouse gas emissions, among other environmental indicators, and giving cities the opportunity to take action based on these data.

To further support and accelerate local climate action, Google’s philanthropy (known as Google.org) and ICLEI are cooperating on a pilot around the establishment and implementation of an Action Fund to support local, data-driven climate initiatives.

The collaboration is about a fund for local civil society organisations and academic institutions, which will be operated with support and expertise from ICLEI.

Google.org launched the $4 million USD “Action Fund” at COP25. The Fund will support non-profit organisations and academic institutions in Europe and Latin America to turn EIE data insights into action-oriented projects at the local level. Grants from the fund will support planning and implementing climate initiatives based on city-level environmental data on transportation emissions, building emissions, solar potential, and air quality.

“Although data is a universal language, it has yet to be effectively translated into local climate action,” explains Wolfgang Teubner, Regional Director, ICLEI Europe. “Data can, if presented in a way that is engaging and easy to understand, inform and motivate people to take action for change. That is why Google EIE and ICLEI are collaborating to work with civil society actors to harness this potential and transform cities into more climate-resilient and sustainable places.”

ICLEI Europe will support the allocation of the fund to projects in Europe that use the city-level data to take climate action. Local governments may support this effort through outreach to non-profit and academic organisations in their cities, engaging together on local climate action plans, and identifying implementation actions.

For more information, contact iclei-europe@iclei.org.