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Environment and Climate

Credit: Li-An Lim via Unsplash

Overview

Environmental policies have long been the crucible for open-government – from instituting public participation through environmental impact assessments, to disclosure through pollutant release transfer registers, to publishing enforcement and compliance data online. Of course, the challenges of the global climate require new policies, instruments, and innovations to ensure maximum resilience against intensifying climate changes.

Transparency allows governments, citizens, and markets to see the true cost of pollution and develop responses to that information. It also provides information on the amount of subsidies granted to fossil fuel and related industries. Public participation creates opportunities and forums to discuss and weigh alternative approaches for development. This is especially vital for vulnerable communities who may not typically have a seat in decision-making spaces. Finally, ensuring that there is accountability for decision-making, through adequate access to justice, public oversight of decision-making, and well-established grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms can help ensure safer and healthier communities.

The added pressure of protecting against the worst effects of climate change requires additional innovation. Open data and access to information on greenhouse gas (GHG) contributions can help drive innovation and identify high return-on-investment alternatives to GHG-intensive activities. Public participation in legislation, regulation, and planning for both mitigation and adaptation can increase public buy-in and improve public awareness. This is critical in planning for the increasingly unpredictable and sometimes disastrous effects of a warming world.

OGP members have made dozens of commitments related to transparency and community participation in environmental issues, often focusing on publishing geospatial data on conservation areas and protected lands. A few commitments seek to involve citizens in environmental policy-making through climate resiliency programs and conservation efforts. These commitments are often highly impactful. According to OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism, more than a quarter of environment commitments results in significant improvements to government openness.

The OGP community works to share innovation and provide additional visibility for organizations and members who are working to improve environmental quality, mitigate the worst effects of climate change, and adapt to the intensifying changes.

Partners

Resources

  1. Collective Actions on Climate and Sustainable Development through the Open Government Partnership

    2017, Document, PDF

  2. A Guide to Open Government and the Coronavirus: Green Transitions – Climate and Environment

    The economic, social, climate, and health crises of 2020 are undoubtedly costly, but they present an opportunity to build back…

    2020, Guidance Document, Web Page

  3. Natural Resources Fact Sheet

    Snapshot of global progress and member-level examples of natural resources work in OGP

    2019, Document, PDF

  4. Buenos Aires Cambio Climático (Buenos Aires Climate Change)

    Explore how the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina is working to be a more resilient, inclusive and carbon neutral city.T

    2020, Outbound Link, Web Page

  5. Data for Climate Action in Chile - Final Report

    Effective responses to fight climate change require the collection, sharing and use of data. Explore findings from the Open Data…

    2020, Outbound Link, Web Page

  6. Open Climate Governance Primer

    As OGP co-chairs in 2016-2017, the Government of France and World Resources Institute made climate change and sustainable development core…

    2017, Resource, Web Page

  7. Implementing Open Data Strategies for Climate Action: Suggestions And Lessons Learned for Government and Civil Society Stakeholders

    The World Resources Institute and Open Data Charter promotes greater accessibility of climate-related data by building government officials’ and other…

    2021, Outbound Link, Web Page

  8. Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement through Transparency, Participation, and Accountability

    Explore how open government approaches can support ambitious and equitable climate actions that are backed with the political will and…

    2021, Resource, Web Page

  9. Environment and Climate Fact Sheet

    A look at global progress and member-level examples of environment and climate work in OGP

    2021, Document, PDF

Commitments

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Open Government Partnership