Open Climate Network

Open Climate Network
Name	Open Climate Network
Type	Nonprofit research organization
Founded	2015
Location	United States; international partnerships
Focus	Climate change attribution; greenhouse gas emissions; policy analysis

Open Climate Network is a nonprofit research consortium focused on attributing national and subnational responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and linking emissions trends to climate impacts and policy. The organization integrates data analysis with policy assessment to inform international negotiations, national planning, and civil society campaigns. Collaborators have included academic institutions, think tanks, and intergovernmental bodies across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

History

Open Climate Network emerged in the mid-2010s amid intensified policy debate following the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change processes, the Paris Agreement, and national commitments under Nationally Determined Contributions. Founders included researchers with backgrounds from Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, and policy teams from NewClimate Institute and World Resources Institute. Early work linked to reporting from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments and analyses used by delegations at Conference of the Parties meetings, including COP21 and subsequent sessions. The network expanded through affiliations with groups active in climate litigation and transnational advocacy, such as Climate Accountability Institute and Utrecht University climate centers, positioning itself between academic research like that at Imperial College London and policy advocacy by Climate Action Network.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission emphasizes rigorous quantification of historical and current greenhouse gas emissions responsibility to inform United Nations processes, national policymaking, and subnational initiatives in cities and states like California and New York (state). Objectives include producing transparent datasets aligned with standards from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidance, supporting equity debates central to the Paris Agreement implementation, and enabling litigation and accountability pathways used in cases before courts such as those in Netherlands and United States federal courts. The Network aims to serve stakeholders spanning European Commission negotiators, African Union policymakers, and activist coalitions like Fridays for Future.

Methodology and Data Sources

Open Climate Network applies greenhouse gas accounting methods consistent with IPCC inventory guidelines and draws on emissions databases maintained by institutions including Global Carbon Project, EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research), and national inventory submissions to the UNFCCC. Methodological choices reference studies published in journals associated with Nature Climate Change, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Environmental Research Letters. Analyses incorporate socioeconomic datasets from World Bank, International Energy Agency, and demographic data from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The group integrates satellite observations from platforms like NASA missions and Copernicus Programme sensors with industry-reported data from companies tracked in databases maintained by Carbon Disclosure Project and supply-chain information linked to World Trade Organization statistics. Attribution approaches often use frameworks similar to those in reports by Stockholm Environment Institute and Oxford University researchers, enabling comparisons with footprints calculated by Global Footprint Network and life-cycle assessments from EPA.

Key Projects and Publications

Major outputs have included national responsibility reports, policy briefs for European Union negotiators, and peer-reviewed papers in collaboration with authors affiliated with Columbia University, University of Oxford, and London School of Economics. Notable projects mapped emissions embedded in international trade flows between blocs such as the European Union, China, United States, and India, and produced scenario analyses referenced by agencies like the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Publications addressed topics ranging from historical emissions accounting used in climate litigation cases to city-level inventories for municipalities such as London and Los Angeles. The Network issued technical notes used by think tanks including Resources for the Future and Brookings Institution.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources reportedly include philanthropic foundations active in climate philanthropy, collaborations with academic research grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and European Research Council programs, and project support from international organizations like United Nations Environment Programme. Partner organizations have included NewClimate Institute, World Resources Institute, Climate Analytics, and university centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University. The Network participated in funded consortia alongside entities such as Rockefeller Foundation-supported initiatives and projects co-sponsored by the ClimateWorks Foundation.

Organizational Structure and Personnel

The Network is organized as a multidisciplinary team combining data scientists, economists, and policy analysts drawn from institutions like Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and University of Tokyo. Leadership roles have been held by senior researchers with prior affiliations at Harvard Kennedy School and international NGOs such as Environmental Defense Fund. Governance often includes advisory boards with representatives from International Institute for Sustainable Development, Chatham House, and regional research centers including CICERO and Tsinghua University institutes.

Impact and Criticism

Open Climate Network's work has influenced UNFCCC negotiations, supported strategic litigation in courts including those in Netherlands and United States, and informed reporting by media outlets such as The Guardian and New York Times. It has been cited in policymaking contexts by entities like the European Commission and in analyses by International Energy Agency. Criticisms have focused on choices in allocation methods and counterfactual baselines, echoing debates from scholars at Princeton University and University of Oxford about fairness frameworks in climate responsibility. Some commentators from think tanks such as Cato Institute and scholars linked to Global Justice Program have questioned assumptions about consumption-based accounting versus production-based inventories used by national statistical offices like Office for National Statistics.

Category:Climate change organizations