The Climate Group

Climate Group

Founded	2004
Type	Environmental charity
Focus	Climate change
Location	London, UK: Headquartered in London with offices in Beijing, New Delhi, New York and Amsterdam.
Area served	International
Website	www.theclimategroup.org

Climate Group is a nonprofit organisation with a mission to drive climate action, fast, and achieve a world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with greater prosperity for all. The organisation builds influential networks of business and governments to unlock the power of collective action and scale. With its partners, Climate Group drives demand for net zero solutions, moving whole systems such as energy, transport, the built environment, industry and food to a cleaner future. The organisation and its members are helping to shift global markets and policies towards faster reductions in carbon emissions.

The organisation operates globally with offices in the UK (headquarters), the United States, India, China and The Netherlands. Climate Group acts as the secretariat for the Under2 Coalition, the largest alliance of state and regional governments around the world that are committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero levels by 2050 or earlier. As of 2024, the Under2 Coalition includes 178 subnational governments with a wider network of national governments and regional associations that represent 1.75 billion people and 50% of the world economy.

Climate Group business initiatives, in partnership with the We Mean Business Coalition, grow corporate demand for renewable energy, energy productivity, electric transport and lower emission steel and concrete, to accelerate the transition to a zero emissions economy and help businesses reach their climate goals through clearly defined targets and actionable strategies.

History

Climate Group was founded in 2003 and launched in 2004 by Prime Minister Tony Blair, ex-CEO and co-founder, Steve Howard together with ex-Chief Operating Officer, Jim Walker and former Communications Director, Alison Lucas. Former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, also supported the group at its launch. It evolved from research led by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and was established to encourage more major companies and subnational governments to take climate action.

The first US office opened in 2006 in Oakland, California, followed by a New York office in 2007. Additional offices opened in Beijing, Brussels and Hong Kong in 2008, India in 2009, and Amsterdam in 2022.

In 2005, Climate Group launched the States and Regions Alliance at COP11 in Montreal, connecting state, regional, provincial and subnational governments from around the world, to establish an international network for knowledge sharing and driving climate action. In May 2015, in the runup to COP21, the The Under2 Coalition was formed by the governments of California and Baden-Württemberg to mobilise and galvanise bold climate action from like-minded city, state and regional governments around the globe.

In 2009, Climate Group held its first Climate Week NYC summit to help drive ambition for a new global agreement at COP15 in Copenhagen. At COP15, Climate Group first ventured in work around electric vehicles with EV20, a global initiative designed to accelerate the deployment of electric cars.

In 2014, Climate Group launched its global corporate renewable energy initiative RE100 at Climate Week NYC, the same year that Climate Group established the We Mean Business Coalition as a founding partner. Two years later the global corporate energy efficiency initiative EP100 saw the light, and in 2017 the global initiative for accelerating the transition to electric vehicles launched at Climate Week NYC.

In 2011, Mark Kenber took over from Steve Howard as CEO. In 2017, Helen Clarkson became CEO, following Mark Kenber’s resignation in 2016. SteelZero publicly launched with anthe initial group of committed corporates on 1st December 2020, followed by ConcreteZero which launched in July 2022. Later that year, in September, EV100+ launched, an extension of EV100 programme focused on the transition of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), to zero emission by 2040.

The current chair of Climate Group UK board is Hon. Mike Rann AC, CNZM.

Impact

Since its launch, Climate Group has worked constructively with businesses and subnational governments to drive collective impact at scale and speed.

Some of the most notable impacts over the past few years:

• In 2018 and 2019, the Future Fund supported the State of Colima in Mexico to update and strengthen its emissions inventory according to the IPCC guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. With this data, the state could estimate 2030 baseline scenarios for the emission of greenhouse gases for the energy, industrial processes and product use (IPPU), agriculture, forestry and other land uses (AFOLU) and waste sectors.
• The Vice Governor of Chungnam gave a keynote speech in support of SteelZero at the SteelZero Summit, saying "As Korea's major steel companies are located in South Chungcheong Province, we are actively pursuing policies for corporate structural transformation related to the decarbonization of the steel industry while working closely with SteelZero to realize carbon neutrality in the steel industry." Chungnam is a significant steel-producing region in South Korea, with the Vice Governor being a key subnational policymaker.
• Following COP28, commitments from Under2 Coalition member governments included:
  • Four states committed to reduce GHG emissions, including methane, from livestock by at least 30% by 2030.
  • Eight states committed to 100% net zero operating emissions government buildings by 2030 or all government buildings to use 100% clean electricity.
  • Nine states, from five continents, committed to provide fiscal or programmatic incentives, funding and/or technical support to cities to halve emissions by 2030 and go net zero by 2050 latest.
  • The government of British Columbia, Canada, signed four energy commitments, including to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector 45-50% by 2025 and no less than 75-80% by 2030, below 2015 levels.

• The B20, part of the G20 in India 2023, officially partnered with SteelZero India to co-host an event and policy discussions. The event was part of a series of talks and policy advocacy forums being held across India with an overall aim to realise the G20’s strategic vision, with actionable policy recommendations. Later that year, the G20 committed to tripling the global renewable energy capacity by 2030.

• The Increasing Ambition project successfully persuaded 20 prospective members of RE100, operating in less mature renewable energy markets, to commit to more ambitious target dates of 2040 or earlier for achieving 100% renewable electricity. This would avert the consumption of an estimated 49TWh of fossil fuel powered electricity, equivalent to over a month of electricity used by the United Kingdom.

Events

Throughout the year, Climate Group hosts a range of global events, including Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together some 600 events and activities across the City of New York – in person, hybrid, and online. The event takes place alongside the United Nations General Assembly, and is run in coordination with the United Nations and City of New York, allowing heads of state and other senior governmental figures to attend and participate.

Hosted every September since 2009, the event brings together international leaders from business, government, and civil society to showcase global climate action. In 2023, Climate Week NYC included 585 events, with over 6,500 attendees participating online and in person. This was the largest Climate Group summit to date with a media reach of 6.9 billion.

Climate Group also hosts the US Climate Action Summit, and Climate Group Asia Action Summit, bringing together regional leaders and industry experts to drive impactful climate action.

The US Climate Action Summit was launched in 2021 to unite key leaders in business, politics and the third sector to drive US climate momentum. The event takes place in Washington DC providing an action-led platform that drives measurable outcomes on climate policy and business action, with attendees at the heart of the agenda. The Leaders’ Forum, the flagship event of the summit, brings together over 200 climate leaders for an agenda curated to facilitate big conversations on stage while allowing leaders to drill into the detail during closed-door workshops and roundtables.

Climate Group Asia Action Summit is a one-day event bringing together the sharpest minds from across the public and private sectors in Asia to catapult climate action into a new era of implementation. The 2023 summit in Singapore was the first iteration of the event and laid the groundwork for action.

COP

Climate Group consistently plays an active role in the COP process, largely through the work of the Under2 Coalition and its states and regions. The first Under2 Coalition General Assembly was held at COP21 in Marrakech in November 2016. Since then, it has met every year to maximise opportunities for multilevel working between national and regional governments across the world.

COP28 focused more on subnational governments than any COP before, particularly through the Local Climate Action Summit, facilitated by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The summit, held at the start of COP28, hosted over 450 attendees from more than 60 countries, including over 250 mayors and governors. Under2 Coalition governments from all regions were represented and had the opportunity to highlight their climate concerns as well as to share their stories of success.

At COP28, Under2 Coalition members and signatories made a range of high-profile announcements and commitments to mitigate climate change. For example, Catalonia and California launched a global partnership for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, Scotland committed to new funding for clean and reliable energy in three African countries and New South Wales published a series of policy compendium on nature-based solutions through the Net Zero Futures Policy Forum, identifying examples of progress and best practice across Australia.

The Under2 Coalition secretariat itself supported and promoted the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships (CHAMP), which asks nations to commit to consulting their local and regional governments to build their national climate goals. The text was supported by more than 60 national governments with more being invited to join after the summit. The secretariat also contributed to the Integrity Matters for Cities, States and Regions report, which made recommendations for subnational governments to ensure their net zero goals have credibility, accountability and transparency.

Through the Local Government and Municipal Authority (LGMA), the Under2 Coalition’s focal point into the UNFCCC, subnational governments negotiated hard to have their role recognised in the final COP outcomes text, which resulted in several references to state and regional governments being included in the Global Stocktake and Global Goal on Adaptation, emphasising that national governments should work to accelerate multi-level action and ensure the inclusion of subnational governments.

Membership

Climate group brings together a global network of over 800 businesses, governments, and signatories working to maximise impact as a collective and deliver a just transition to a net zero future.

Members are supported to reach their net zero goals through four key value pillars:

Policy – Through our Policy Working Groups, members contribute to initiatives that drive and promote policy change, including helping to shape our responses to government consultations, position papers, and surveys, to deliver real impact.

Profile – Members have access to profile and branding opportunities to demonstrate leadership, including participation in campaigns, speaker slots, and inclusion in progress reports showcasing collective achievements.

Network – Members become part of a global network of over 800 businesses, governments, and signatories and have access to international knowledge-sharing through regular updates, exclusive events and a hub of curated resources.

Impact – Collective action paves the path to change. Our member network drives real-world progress by committing to programmes with clearly defined targets and actionable strategies.

Member achievements

Over 420 members are already driving enough renewable electricity demand to power a country larger than France.

Almost 130 of the world's leading companies are committed across almost 100 markets are committed to transition their fleets to EV and install EV charging for staff and customers by 2030. That’s 5.6 million vehicles committed by 2030.

CO2 emissions have been reduced by more than 320 million metric tonnes thanks to energy efficiency measures taken by over 120 members. That’s more than the current annual emissions of France and Switzerland combined.

Climate Group Programmes

Climate Group has key areas of focus in energy, transport, heavy industry and food. The major programmes include:

RE100

RE100 is a global initiative bringing together the world's most influential companies leading the transition to 100% renewable electricity. Its mission is to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids at scale and send a powerful demand signal to policymakers and investors to help address market challenges.

EP100

EP100 is a global corporate energy efficiency initiative bringing together ambitious businesses committed to measuring and reporting on efficiency improvements. To date, EP100 members have saved $1.2 USD billion whilst reducing their emissions by more than the annual emissions of Denmark, Italy and Portugal combined.

EV100

EV100 is a global initiative bringing together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and making electric transport the new normal by 2030. EV100 members are increasing demand for EVs, influencing policy, and driving mass roll-out, helping to make EVs more rapidly affordable for everyone.

EV100+ was launched in 2022. It is an initiative of companies committed to transitioning their fleet of vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, known as medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), to zero emissions by 2040 in OECD markets, China, and India.

SteelZero

SteelZero is a global initiative that brings together leading organisations to speed up the transition to a net zero steel industry, by members making a public commitment to procure 100% net zero steel by 2050.

ConcreteZero

ConcreteZero is a global initiative that brings together pioneering organisations to create a market for net zero concrete. By harnessing members' collective purchasing power and influence, the programme sends a strong demand signal to shift global markets, investment and policies towards the sustainable production and sourcing of concrete.

Under2 Coalition

The Under2 Coalition builds on the legacy of its forerunner, the States and Regions Alliance.

Launched in 2015, the Coalition is the largest network of subnational governments committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. As of May 2024, the Coalition represents 178 individual states, regions, provinces, and subnational governments along with several other national and subnational entities. This includes more than 270 actors, totaling more than 50% of global GDP.

In 2021, the original Under2 Memorandum of Understanding was revised by members of the Steering Group to align with the 1.5 degrees Celsius target of the Paris Agreement. Signatories must now commit to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, or earlier.

The Future Fund, launched in 2017, is a project offering a powerful source of climate funding, supporting subnational governments on their journey to reach net zero emissions by 2050 , at the latest. It ensures that state and regional governments of developing and emerging economies can join international climate discussions, share their ideas and insights on the world stage, and take climate action where it matters.

Since 2017, the project has raised US $1million from Under2 Coalition members and delivered 15 directly funded capacity building projects, supported 21 secondments, welcomed 88 regions from developing and emerging economies to the Under2 Coalition and enabled 65 regional representatives to join international climate events, such as COPs and Climate Week NYC . The Future Fund has helped to level the playing field in international climate discussions by ensuring participation of some of the most overlooked states and regions in the world. Going forward, Climate Group aims to diversify the work and funding streams of this flagship project to scale up its impact and reach.

Funding

Climate Group functions independently of any corporate and government entities and funds its work from a variety of revenue streams. Its 2004 launch was supported primarily by philanthropic organisations, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the DOEN Foundation, the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Climate Group is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Climate Group’s 2022-2023 annual report indicated the three primary funding streams were; government and foundation grants (50%), sponsorship income for our events including Climate Week NYC plus other smaller events (25%) and membership and partnership income (25%).

External links

• Climate Group website
• Climate Week NYC website