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. CDP has launched a new reporting platform this year, see further guidance on how to use the new platform.
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.
What is CDP and CDP 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 500 cities, 100 states and regions, and 5,800 companies, and is backed by over 800 institutional investors. CDP Cities provides global platform for municipal governments to disclose greenhouse gas emissions, climate change risks, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
In 2016, CDP Cities collected, analysed, and delivered data to participating cities, the private sector, and other stakeholders. 533 cities disclosed data to CDP Cities by using our user-friendly online reporting platform. Results demonstrated that cities are better managing their risk and increasing resiliency through more than 4,800 actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
View the list of the 533 cities who disclosed in 2016.
What is the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and how do I report to the Global Covenant
CDP is a recognized reporting platform to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), alongside the carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) and the EU Covenant of Mayors platform. The Global Covenant of Mayors is an international alliance of thousands of cities and local governments supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low emission, resilient society. The Global Covenant of Mayors’ questions are available integrated in the CDP Cities online Information Request.
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:
How do I register and gain access to the questionnaire and the Online Reporting System (ORS)?
Cities can gain access and respond to the questionnaire by using the Online Response System which can be retrieved through the individual activation link sent by email from CDP. Simply follow the instructions to CDP’s secure online platform which hosts the questionnaire. If you have not received a link and would like to participate, please email [email protected] to inquire about further steps.
You may also invite colleagues to the ORS to enter their relevant data onto the questionnaire.
*Please note that only the registered user may submit the questionnaire at the end. The main user can be changed by contacting [email protected].
Is there a fee for responding?
Responding to the CDP Cities Information Request 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.
Can we report privately? What is the difference to reporting publicly?
Yes, you can report non-publicly to CDP. Your data will still be used in aggregate format in our communications. The difference being that your city’s data will not be highlighted in our external communications, reports, and will not be included in Cities Analytics, our benchmarking tool.
Please note that for cities committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, all Global Covenant of Mayors data points will be treated as public, regardless of whether you submit your response publicly or non-publicly.
What is the timeline for responding
The timeline for the 2018 disclosure period is as follows:
Response Check deadline: 11 June 2018
Cities response submission deadline: 11 July 2018
I am having trouble with the questionnaire on the Online Reporting System. Where can I find help?
There are numerous help resources to use when responding to the online questionnaire. These are listed below:
CDP Cities 2017 Guidance Documents – This provides detailed step-by-step instructions 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 of this page.
Response Check – The response check is a free service offered to improve data quality. Please submit your completed response by the deadline of June 11, 2018, and we will review your draft response and highlight areas for improvement. This service is only available to cities who submit their response by the deadline.
Webinars – Webinars are held throughout the disclosure cycle. You may sign up through the registration links that will be circulated via email and are found on the CDP Cities Portal. These will cover procedures such as signing up, activating the questionnaire, best practices, and specific guidance on certain sections.
Additional Help – Please feel free to reach us at [email protected] to arrange further resources.
What type of information is requested by CDP?
The CDP questionnaire includes both qualitative and quantitative questions. The themes include:
Detailed information on each module can be found in the CDP Cities Guidance Document.
What is done with the data once the questionnaire is completed?
Data will be cleaned and analysed in accordance to whether the response was selected as public or non-public. The data collected by CDP is then used by various entities after submission and analysis. These include but are not limited to:
Data can be accessed by cities through:
Data can be accessed by the public through:
Public responses
Data can be accessed by our external partners:
*Cities Analytics is an interactive platform based on data collected from responses to the CDP Cities questionnaire and can provide cities with data to help drive their sustainability efforts. Cities can compare their efforts to other cities and what actions they could be taking to address specific challenges. Only cities who disclose publicly have access to the Cities Analytics platform.
Please email us at [email protected] to gain access to a Cities Analytics demo.
Please contact your CDP account manager.