CDP and Google.org launch new Fellowship

CDP, owner of the world’s largest independent environmental disclosure platform, has announced a new partnership with Google.org to develop an AI-powered tool to turn climate data into action.

The six-month fellowship will see a team of Google.org Fellows, including AI specialists, software engineers, and UX designers work to develop an open-source platform that integrates Google’s AI and cloud technologies with CDP’s dataset which covers more than 1,000 cities, states and regions.

The new AI tool will be designed to help regional governments, as well as individual cities and states, to turn climate data into actionable investment and policy decisions.

“CDP isn’t just the world’s only independent platform for corporate sustainability reporting – we also surface climate resilience projects across more than 1,000 cities, states, and regions worldwide,”[i] explains Sherry Madera, CEO of CDP.

She adds: “We’re proud to be supported by Google.org in building a transformational tool that brings CDP’s powerful data to life and accelerates real-world action. By unlocking the full force of CDP’s unmatched environmental dataset with Google’s talent and cutting-edge AI, we’re equipping subnational leaders with the insight to improve lives, strengthen communities, and drive meaningful, earth-positive decisions at scale.”[ii]

Closing the climate finance gap

The project comes at a time when climate risk is accelerating, yet funding for mitigation and adaptation solutions is lagging demand. Data from CDP highlights a significant funding gap faced by local governments worldwide. According to the organization, financing requirements for climate resilience and environmental projects have grown to $105 billion.

“Our data shows a sharp surge in financing requirements for subnational governments soaring to a record US$105 billion. The message is clear: the urgency for increased financial flows has never been greater,”[iii] Madera says.

In tackling the climate finance gap, CDP explains that sub-national governments often lack the tools to assess exposure, identify mitigation and adaptation options, and communicate funding requirements to financial partners. The new platform will therefore seek to provide relevant insights to help governments evaluate risks and identify possible response strategies.

Maggie Johnson, Global Head at Google.org adds: “The Google.org Fellowship programme is one of our most effective models for bringing Google’s technical expertise to help non-profit organisations accelerate their impact. We believe technology can be a powerful force multiplier, and AI in particular has the power to fundamentally transform how we generate insights from data.”^[iv]

References

[i] CDP and Google.org Launch Fellowship to Supercharge Environmental Action with AI - CDP

[ii] Ibid

[iii] CDP and Google.org Launch Fellowship to Supercharge Environmental Action with AI - CDP

[iv] Ibid

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