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Guidance for cities
Cities can disclose to CDP, Global Covenant of Mayors and C40, if applicable. Global Covenant questions are integrated in the questionnaires and guidance below. A full suite of support, guidance documents and webinars can be accessed through your dashboard when you log in.
In 2019, CDP partnered with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability to present one unified platform for city climate reporting, streamlining the process of reporting and ensuring simplicity and standardisation for reporting cities. Cities will only have to report once, on one platform, to the following questions.
CDP provides guidance that explains each question in detail and describes what information to provide, the required format, and where to find tools or further information to construct your answer.
Frequently asked questions (cities)
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
General information
- What is CDP and its work with cities?
- Why should I participate and report our city's climate change data?
- How do I register and gain access to the questionnaire and the Unified Reporting System?
- How do I add another user to my account? What type of user permissions exist?
- Is there a fee for responding?
- Is there a minimum amount of data that needs to be reported?
- Can we submit a non-public response? What is the difference to submitting a public response?
- What is the timeline for responding?
- What support is provided to help me respond to the questionnaire?
- What type of information is requested?
- What happens to our data once we report?
- How can I check previous responses and update my environmental information?
- How does CDP’s scoring feedback work?
What is CDP and its work with cities?
CDP is a not-for-profit founded in 2000 that operates a global disclosure platform through which non-state actors annually report environmental information. Our platform is used annually by over 800 cities, over 130 states and regions, and over 9,600 companies, and we work with institutional investors with assets of over US$ 110 trillion to shift capital towards a sustainable economy.
In 2020, CDP and ICLEI worked in collaboration to offer a platform for cities to report greenhouse gas emissions, climate change risks, and mitigation and adaptation strategies. 812 cities disclosed data through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System.
View the list of the cities who reported in 2020.
Why should I participate and report our city's climate change data through CDP?
Through CDP, cities can measure, monitor, and manage their impacts on their environment and access networks and shared information from cities all over the world. The main benefits of reporting through us include:
- Gain insight and feedback on your city’s climate action and response through CDP scoring.
- Have your city’s climate action featured on our website and in our media campaigns.
- Participate in workshops and webinars to learn international best practice and improve your city's climate efforts.
- Compile all your environmental data in one place.
- Track your city's sustainability and climate efforts annually.
- Access data from 800+ cities, 130+ states and regions, and 9,600+ companies.
- Enter the ecosystem of the world’s best city initiatives and programs. Participate in the Global Covenant of Mayors, as well as other initiatives offered by our partners ICLEI, C40 and WWF.
How do I register and gain access to the questionnaire and the Unified Reporting System?
CDP and ICLEI work in partnership to present one unified process for subnational climate action reporting. If your city is requested to respond through the Unified Reporting System, CDP will notify you by email with an individual link to access the platform. You will need to register for an account on CDP’s website to access the platform. The Unified Reporting System is a secure online platform which hosts the questionnaire and offers full suite of resources including webinars and guidance documents, and tools to assist with reporting.
If you have not yet been requested to respond but you would like to, please complete and submit this registration form to register your city’s interest. After you submit the form, we will check the data you have supplied and send you an email with information on next steps. During busy periods this process may take a few weeks. If you have already received an activation link or have access to your city’s response dashboard and questionnaire, you do not need to complete this form and you can sign in here.
Once you have registered you will have access to your city dashboard containing information regarding which questionnaires and reporting partners your city is being requested to respond to. You can activate and access the questionnaires via this dashboard.
If you need help accessing your city’s questionnaire or have not received a link and would like to participate, please contact [email protected].
How do I add another user to my account? What type of user permissions exist?
There is no limit to the number of users that can be added to your account. There are different three types of user roles, and the different permissions for each user role are listed below.
| Main User | Contributor | View Only |
|
This person is responsible for the organization’s responses. Only one person per organization can be the Main User. Submits questionnaire(s) on behalf of the organization:
Controls access rights to the organization’s response via the system, or authorize CDP to make these changes:
Key contact point relating to the reporting period and organization’s response(s):
Please note that as the Main User your details will be stored in CDP’s systems. |
This person has access to the response(s) and can enter, save and edit data. This type of user role can be used to collaborate with multiple colleagues, who can all directly access the online questionnaire via the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System. |
This person has access to the response(s) but cannot enter, save or edit data. This type of user role can be used for sharing the response(s) with colleagues for review or sign off purposes. |
Is there a fee for responding?
Responding to the Cities Questionnaire is free. CDP has charitable status and seeks to use its limited funds effectively. As such, responses must be prepared and submitted at the expense of responding cities.
Is there a minimum amount of data that needs to be reported?
There is no minimum amount of data that needs to be reported and the response is completely voluntary at all stages. However, if your city is committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, certain requirements should be met. In order to pass the lowest scoring band of ‘disclosure’ according to CDPs scoring methodology you must provide a fairly complete response to the Cities Questionnaire. More information on the scoring methodology for 2021 will be released in April.
Can we submit a non-public response? What is the difference to submitting a public response?
Yes, certain cities can submit a non-public response. Your data will still be used by CDP, ICLEI and our partners in aggregate format in our communications. The difference being that your city’s data will not be highlighted in our external communications, reports and CDPs Open Data Portal. Moreover, cities that submit a non-public response will not be featured on CDP’s A-list according to the methods by which CDP score cities responses and provide feedback.
Please note that the following cities are not able to submit a non-public response:
- Cities committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy or indicating on the platform that they intend to commit to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy.
- Cities choosing to participate in WWF’s One Planet City Challenge.
- Cities reporting for Cities Race to Zero and Race to Resilience.
The Terms and Conditions for our Cities Questionnaire provides a comprehensive list of information on what happens to your response after submission. The Terms and Conditions are also available through the ‘Submit your response’ page of the online questionnaires.
What is the timeline for responding?
The timeline for the 2021 reporting period for cities is as follows:
- Reporting platform will open: early-April 2021.
- Cities response submission deadline: 29th July 2021
This allows city and local governments over 12 weeks to submit their response.
What support is provided to help me respond to the questionnaire?
2021 guide to the reporting platform – This provides you with a comprehensive guide on how to use our reporting platform and explains all of its features.
2021 Cities reporting guidance and scoring methodology (to be released in April) – This provides detailed step-by-step guidance for completing the online questionnaire that you can use when filling out individual sections and questions in the questionnaire. It is available at the top right of this page.
Webinars – Webinars are held throughout the reporting cycle. You may sign up through the registration links that will be circulated via email and are found on our Cities events page. These will cover procedures such as signing up, activating the questionnaire, best practices, and specific guidance on certain sections.
For further support you can contact either [email protected] or your regional contact. You can also reach out to your ICLEI regional contact and the carbonn Center - [email protected] can direct your query to the appropriate person.
What type of information is requested by CDP?
The Cities Questionnaire requests qualitative and quantitative environmental data for the following themes:
- Governance
- Climate hazards, Adaptation
- City-wide Emissions
- Emissions reduction, Opportunities
- Local Government Emissions
- Energy, Buildings, Transport
- Urban Planning
- Food, Waste
- Water security
Detailed information on each section and question can be found in the 2021 Cities reporting guidance.
What happens to our data once we report?
CDP and ICLEI will both use the self-reported local and regional government data to provide robust analysis - collaboratively or independently - of the climate actions being taken at subnational level across the world.
This data will also serve other ICLEI supported initiatives. See the full list of ICLEI supported initiatives here.
CDP use this data to produce city scores, analytics, snapshot reports, and feedback for local and regional governments on their score. CDP also makes publicly reported data available on their website and through their Open Data Portal. This allows local and regional governments to monitor their progress against their peers worldwide.
ICLEI will continue to use the data to shape and substantiate messages of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency to the UNFCCC. These messages are shared with nations and UN agencies, to ensure that they are informed of subnational commitments, plans and activities. ICLEI is also working closely with other partners to call for subnational contributions to be embedded in their respective Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
For Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) committed cities, the response data is also shared with GCoM, once it has been validated.
How can I check previous responses and update my environmental information?
If you previously reported, you will be able to access your previous response through your response dashboard within the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System. Local and regional governments are asked to submit their climate information every year but are able to use information reported the previous year as a basis. If your city submitted a response to the 2020 questionnaire through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System, your answers have been auto-populated in to your 2021 questionnaire where applicable. Please refer to the guide to the reporting platform guide for information on how to identify which questions have been auto-populated. Please note that attachments are not auto-populated into your response.
How does CDP’s scoring feedback work?
CDP offer all participating cities with tools and detailed feedback on their score to urge them to improve year on year. Cities are expected to provide a reasonably complete response overall in order to be scored accurately and fairly. In addition, the criteria in the scoring methodology encourages cities to demonstrate best practice by:
- Assessing the city’s climate risk and vulnerability assessment;
- Developing a robust adaptation or mitigation strategy;
- Measuring and tracking the city’s emissions;
- Working towards ambitious reduction targets; and
- Reporting this information publicly.
Based on the information the cities provide in their response, CDP assigns the city a score within one of four scoring bands: Disclosure – cities starting out in climate disclosure, Awareness – cities with an understanding of climate impacts, Management – cities taking climate action, and Leadership – cities demonstrating strategic best practice.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
ICLEI CDP collaboration
- What are the benefits of the ICLEI/CDP collaboration
- What happens if I reported through CDP before but not through carbonn Climate Registry (cCR)?
- What happens if I reported through both CDP and carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) before?
- What happens if I reported through carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) before but not through CDP?
- How is our historical reporting data handled?
What are the benefits of the ICLEI/CDP collaboration
Since April 2019, local and regional governments have been reporting climate action data through one unified reporting system. In so doing, they give their permission to both CDP and ICLEI to use their publicly reported data, and in return gain access to a host of services and support offered by both organizations.
Crucially, local and regional governments only have to report once on CDP’s platform. Reported data is automatically shared with ICLEI.
What happens if I reported through CDP before but not through carbonn Climate Registry (cCR)?
You can continue reporting as usual. Your data will be shared with ICLEI, for more information on reporting non-publicly please refer to the Terms and Conditions of the Cities 2021 Questionnaire.
What happens if I reported through both CDP and carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) before?
You now only have to report once through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System and your data will be shared with ICLEI.
What happens if I reported through carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) before but not through CDP?
You should report through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System and the data will be automatically shared with ICLEI. The services you previously received from ICLEI will remain the same and in addition you will receive tools and scoring feedback from CDP.
How is our historical reporting data handled?
If a local or regional government has reported their data publicly through CDP or carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) already, it will be automatically shared with the other. Your historical report will be used by ICLEI to show an overview of trends and allow ICLEI to offer specific guidance for scaling up climate action.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021
- What is the WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC)?
- How do I report to WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) in 2021?
- How is my data used for the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC)?
What is the WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC)?
The One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) is a biennial competition organized by WWF to guide cities towards effective climate action, while publicly recognizing the most ambitious cities as leaders in the field. The aim of the OPCC is to develop and disseminate best practices in the fields of climate mitigation and adaptation. In this round of the OPCC, cities will be reviewed on how their efforts align with the Paris Agreement and its goal to limit global warming to max 1.5 °C. Your feedback report will show our assessment of your targets, and how well your climate action package is balanced towards those goals. Participants will also receive guidance on big-win actions to help them get there. In some cases, your national WWF office may provide additional programs on, for example, food, nature-base-solutions, adaptation, waste or mobility.
Best performing cities will be promoted as national and/or international finalists, with two winning cities selected as international winners by an expert jury. National and international finalists will have the opportunity to participate in WWF’s We Love Cities – a public engagement campaign where citizens express their support for a city’s sustainability work and submit their suggestions to further accelerate change. In many counties, WWF offices work locally with OPCC cities on complementary programs. Please contact [email protected] to be put in touch with your local WWF office if you are not already.
How do I report to WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) in 2021?
To participate in the OPCC, cities are required to report their climate ambitions through CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System and indicate their willingness to participate during the data entry process. The OPCC data requirement is fully aligned with the Common Reporting Framework of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM).
How is my data used for the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC)?
The OPCC process examines your publicly reported climate action data in the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System and assesses it against a fair share mitigation pathway to a science-based net zero target by, at the latest, 2050. Your reported mitigation and adaptation actions are assessed against best practice potential and feedback is provided on potential improvements. Fair share is judged by taking into account national Human Development Index status, GDP and anticipated population growth. Best performing cities in each country are assessed by a jury of experts and national winners are publicly promoted. From the national winners, two international winners will be selected, reflecting the different challenges facing cities in high- and lower-income environments.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
- What if my city is committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy?
- What if my city is committed to the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy?
What if my city is committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy?
Cities committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) agree to make key data publicly available via regular reporting in order to track progress in achieving the aims of the alliance.
Our unified reporting system is one of two recognised reporting platforms, along with the My Covenant platform of the EU Covenant of Mayors. It fully integrates GCoM’s Common Reporting Framework (CRF), which means that any data point required by the CRF can be reported through the system.
Once you receive your results and feedback from CDP-ICLEI, any badges will be officially awarded by your Regional Covenant and showcased on the GCoM website.
Please refer to the GCoM-specific FAQ and our ‘How-To’ guidance available in your city’s dashboard for more information.
What if my city is committed to the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy?
If you are committed to the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, you can either report through the CDP-ICLEI unified reporting system or the My Covenant platform.
If you report through the CDP-ICLEI unified reporting system, your data will be shared with the EU Covenant of Mayors. You will continue to be able to access your online profile and receive all benefits.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
Cities Race to Zero
- What is Race to Zero?
- What is Cities Race to Zero?
- How does joining Cities Race to Zero relate to or differ from existing GCoM commitments?
- What is Race to Resilience?
What is Race to Zero?
The Race to Zero is a global campaign - led by the UN High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action – Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Muñoz. The aim is to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth ahead of COP26 in November 2021.
Race to Zero mobilizes a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, representing cities, regions, companies, universities and investors. These ‘real economy’ actors join 120 countries in the largest ever alliance committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.
What is Cities Race to Zero?
Cities Race to Zero is the official track for cities to join the Race to Zero campaign. It is especially designed to help cities meet the Race’s criteria and access the best available expertise along the way. The Cities Race to Zero is organised by C40 Cities, CDP, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI). Cities can find out more and join the campaign at the Cities Race to Zero portal.
How does joining Cities Race to Zero relate to or differ from existing GCoM commitments?
Making a commitment to the Cities Race to Zero remains in line with the GCoM Common Reporting Framework (CRF) and is consistent with existing guidance on targets as part of the CRF and city reporting requirements.
A GCoM compliant mitigation commitment must be at least as ambitious as the relevant national government’s NDC. As the Race to Zero target is generally more ambitious, or in some cases equally ambitious, to current NDCs, this type of target meets the criteria for a GCoM mitigation commitment.
At present the Race to Zero only relates to mitigation targets under the GCoM framework. Therefore, while a Race to Zero target may meet requirements for compliance under the mitigation pillar, cities will still need to establish adaptation and energy access commitments and strategies beyond the scope of the Race to Zero to achieve full GCoM compliance.
Further, Race to Zero commitments will not be required for GCoM compliance but are a recommended option to meet the mitigation requirements under GCoM.
What is Race to Resilience?
The Race to Resilience is the sibling campaign to the Race to Resilience. The campaign is coordinated by the UNFCCC’s High Level Climate Champions.
The campaign sets out to catalyse a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience, putting people and nature first in pursuit of a resilient world where we don’t just survive climate shocks and stresses but thrive in spite of them. By 2030, the aim is to catalyse action by non-state actors that builds the resilience of 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities to climate risks.
Cities will be able to join the Race to Resilience through approved initiatives, which will be announced from Q2 2021. The most up to date information can be found here.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
Science-Based Targets
- What is a science-based target?
- Why should cities set science-based targets?
- What is the Science Based Targets Network?
- How do cities set science-based targets?
- What is the difference between an absolute target and an intensity target?
- Can cities set science-based targets for areas beyond climate?
- Do cities’ targets need to be validated?
- What’s the difference between the terms; carbon neutral, net zero and climate neutral?
What is a science-based target?
Science-based targets are measurable and actionable targets that allow cities to align their actions with societal sustainability goals and the biophysical limits that define the safety and stability of earth systems.
Targets adopted by cities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are considered “science-based” if they are in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C. As well as considering the latest science, a science-based target should account for equity and be comprehensive in the GHGs and emission sources included.
Why should cities set science-based targets?
Cities setting science-based climate targets will benefit from clearly defined goals, specifying the scale and pace at which they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Many cities have set emission reduction targets in recent years. It is important for cities to review and update existing targets where required to ensure that they reflect a fair share of the emission reductions required to reach global net zero by 2050, in line with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Setting a science-based target it one of the requirements of the Race to Zero campaign; the global movement of actors committing to reach net zero.
What is the Science Based Targets Network?
The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) is one of the four elements of the Global Commons Alliance. SBTN brings together over 50 partner organisations, including NGOs, business associations and consultancies to collectively define what is necessary to do “enough” to stay within Earth’s limits and meet society’s needs. SBTN develops methods, guidance and tools for cities and companies to set science-based targets for all earth’s systems. CDP is one of SBTN’s core cities partners, working to support cities in setting science-based targets for climate and nature.
How do cities set science-based targets?
There are multiple methodologies and approaches cities can use to set science-based emission reduction targets. The Science Based Targets Network’s core cities partners have evaluated a group of methodologies and produced a guide to help cities select the best approach for setting a science-based emissions reduction target. Download the guide to get started here.
What is the difference between an absolute target and an intensity target?
An absolute emissions target refers to a target that aims to reduce GHG emissions by a set amount. For example, an emissions target aiming to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. An absolute target is referring to the total amount of emissions being emitted.
An emissions intensity target is a normalized metric that sets a city’s emissions targets relative to GDP. This allows a city to set emissions reduction targets while accounting for economic growth.
Can cities set science-based targets for areas beyond climate?
The Science Based Targets Network is developing methods, tools and guidance for cities and companies to set targets beyond climate, to include all earth’s systems: water, oceans, land and biodiversity. This work is still underway for cities. If you are interested in the development of this area, you can register your interest here.
Do cities’ targets need to be validated?
Science-based targets for cities is an exciting and emerging area of work, with some areas still under development. Throughout 2021, a method of validating cities’ emission reduction targets will be developed and begin being applied. In the meantime, CDP can support cities in checking the targets they have set.
What’s the difference between the terms; carbon neutral, net zero and climate neutral?
Carbon neutrality or net zero carbon dioxide emissions: Net zero carbon dioxide emissions are achieved when anthropogenic CO2 emissions are balanced globally by anthropogenic CO2 removals over a specified period.
Net zero emissions: Net zero emissions are achieved when anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are balanced by anthropogenic removals over a specified period. Where multiple greenhouse gases are involved, the quantification of net zero emissions depends on the climate metric chosen to compare emissions of different gases (such as global warming potential, global temperature change potential, and others, as well as the chosen time horizon).
Climate neutrality: Concept of a state in which human activities result in no net effect on the climate system. Achieving such a state would require balancing of residual emissions with emission (carbon dioxide) removal as well as accounting for regional or local biogeophysical effects of human activities that, for example, affect surface albedo or local climate.
General information | ICLEI CDP collaboration | WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2021 | Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | Cities Race to Zero | Science-Based Targets | ACEEE CDP partnership
ACEEE CDP partnership
CDP and ACEEE partner for ACEEE’s 2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard: FAQs
- What is the partnership between CDP and ACEEE?
- Why is this partnership for the 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard happening?
- How does this collaboration strengthen subnational data in the United States?
- What does this mean for the cities invited to participate?
FAQs for invited cities
- What happens to our data once we report?
- What happens if I reported through CDP’s platform before but have not previously participated in ACEEE’s City Scorecard?
- What happens if I have participated in ACEEE’s City Scorecard before but not reported to CDP?
- How can I check previous responses to ACEEE and update my information?
- Who do I contact if I need help accessing or responding to the CDP platform?
- How is our historical data reported to ACEEE handled?
- What is the timeline for reporting for the 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard?
CDP and ACEEE partner for ACEEE’s 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard: FAQs
What is the partnership between CDP and ACEEE?
CDP is partnering with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) on data collection for its City Clean Energy Scorecard; data iscollected through CDP’s platform, which started in 2019. The 100 cities selected are from cities in the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. This data will be included in ACEEE’s 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard. City staff will receive email invitations to participate from CDP and ACEEE in February 2020.
Why is this partnership for the 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard happening?
This partnership builds on the successful partnership started last year for the 2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard. It is intended to improve, standardize and streamline efforts to collect data on how cities are advancing clean energy in their communities. CDP Cities provides a global platform for municipal governments to disclose greenhouse gas emissions, climate change risks, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.The CDP-ICLEI unified reporting system is used by ICEI, Global Covenant of Mayors (GC0M), C40 Cities Leadership Group and WWF, among other partners.
ACEEE’s City Clean Energy Scorecard serves as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency in the United States. By collecting data through CDP’s platform, ACEEE can perform better analysis, so that both organizations can better spotlight leaders, facilitate peer learning, and mainstream energy-efficient best practices.
How does this collaboration strengthen subnational data in the United States?
All data that is reported for cities will be represented in ACEEE’s City Clean Energy Scorecard and posted on ACEEE’s State and Local Policy Database after release. This is the only U.S. assessment of city-led energy and climate actions. It is intended to be a resource for cities and their partners as they seek to track progress and identify peer examples and leading practices. It also eases the reporting burden on cities, especially if they have participated in CDP or any of our partner data collection efforts, as the platform is streamlined and user-friendly. By building partnerships with key partners, CDP is better able to support cities in reporting their environmental data.
What does this mean for the cities invited to participate?
The 100 cities selected are from the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. They will be invited to submit their city’s information via ACEEE’s data request on CDP’s website, by logging in at www.cdp.net. For cities that have previously reported to CDP, they will be able to access their ACEEE City Clean Energy Scorecard data request from the same dashboard as their CDP response. For cities that have never reported to CDP, they will access their ACEEE Scorecard data request from the CDP dashboard.
FAQs for invited cities
What happens to our data once we report?
Once a city submits its ACEEE data response to CDP, CDP will pass the information to ACEEE. ACEEE will use this information to produce city scores and analyze local government trends for the 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard. ACEEE will also post city policies and actions on the Local and State Policy Database after release. Cities will receive an advance copy of the City Scorecard draft report and updated Database to review in Summer 2021.
What happens if I reported through CDP’s platform before but have not previously participated in ACEEE’s City Scorecard?
The CDP questionnaire and ACEEE scorecard are two separate questionnaires; they are not integrated as currently exists for CDP’s other city data collection efforts like Global Covenant of Mayors (GCOM), etc. The 100 cities targeted for the ACEEE Clean Energy Scorecard will receive an invitation from CDP that ACEEE’s data request has launched in February 2021. Cities can log into CDP’s platform and begin reviewing and updating ACEEE’s data request. ACEEE will have pre-populated some questions with publicly available information or data collected through ACEEE’s external review process, which cities are asked to edit or update alongside.
What happens if I have participated in ACEEE’s City Scorecard before but not reported to CDP?
The CDP questionnaire and ACEEE scorecard are two separate questionnaires. Cities invited to participate in ACEEE’s City Clean Energy Scorecard have an option to additionally participate in CDP’s annual questionnaire disclosure. ACEEE’s data request will be available on CDP’s platform. The data request will include pre-populated data from previous editions of the ACEEE City Clean Energy Scorecard. Cities will be asked to review and update this information as needed.
How can I check previous responses to ACEEE and update my information?
CDP will send participating cities’ staff invitations to log into the platform. Once logged in, cities will be able to see information from their city pre-populated in the data request. This information has been collected from ACEEE as part of past editions of the City Clean Energy Scorecard. Cities will need to review the information, edit or update any misrepresentations, and fill in any gaps.
Who do I contact if I need help accessing or responding to the CDP platform?
Please email CDP ([email protected]) for queries relating to the disclosure platform or ACEEE (Kate Tanabe, [email protected]) for questions relating to ACEEE and/or the data request.
How is our historical data reported to ACEEE handled?
ACEEE has pre-populated the data platform with the most current information that you have previously submitted to ACEEE or that it has collected about your city. The goal of this effort is to make sure that data is updated this year.
What is the timeline for reporting for the 2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard?
ACEEE’s data request for the 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard will launch on CDP’s online platform in February 2021. Included cities will receive an invitation then and will be able to log onto the platform to begin review. The deadline to submit in 2021 will be March 12th, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. If you have any questions about the upcoming timeline, please email [email protected] directly.
Need help?
Please contact your CDP account manager.
[email protected]