Climate Cooperative Initiatives Database (beta)

The promise of transnational action

There is a gap between government commitments for climate, nature, and health. This gap can be filled through cross-border collaborations between cities, regions, businesses, and civil society organizations – what we call transnational cooperative initiatives, voluntary climate action, or multistakeholder partnerships.

The promises of transnational action feature:

  1. The mobilization of actors
  2. The ability to achieve goals that help solve problems: halting/ reversing biodiversity loss, closing the emissions gap, securing adaptation finance
  3. To broadly contribute to sustainable development, particularly in the Global South

Mobilization of actors

While the recent past has witnessed an unprecedented growth of cooperative initiatives, such growth has tapered in 2020 with the count of active initiatives remaining steady. Many initiatives have been launched at UN and climate summits, COP20 Lima (2014), UN Climate Summit (2014), COP21 Paris (2015), the Global Climate Action Summit (2015).

Description: The chart includes active initiatives which have been launched from before 2013 to 2021. They are disaggregated by policy type (mitigation, adaptation, mixed). In addition to launch dates, we note expiry dates when initiatives otherwise conclude their activities. Unless an expiry date is indicated, or a coder determines it to be inactive, an initiative is considered ‘active’ for two years after its latest output (publication, report, event, etc.).

SDG Linkages for Cooperative Initiatives

Transnational initiatives can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Climate Action (SDG13) is the largest proportion, but Partnerships for the Goals (SDG17); Affordable & Clean Energy (SDG7); Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG11) are also represented.

Description: The chart illustrates the proportions of SDG linkages mentioned on cooperative-initiative websites and in reports.To be coded, the initiative must explicitly mention the SDG or a related component, e.g. SDG13, ‘Climate Action’, adaptation to climate change, reducing CO2.