Improving data systems for climate justice

📢 Fresh off the press! Excited to share my new Policy Brief:
“Seeing Sustainability Differently: New Metrics and Ethical Data Governance for a Just Transition”, authored by yours truly for the SPES Sustainability Performances, Evidence & Scenarios, funded by #HorizonEurope. We argue that just transitions require more than technical fixes – they demand rethinking how we see, measure, and govern sustainability. This brief outlines actionable steps for ethical, inclusive, and effective data generation and use in transition policymaking. 🚩 Key Policy Recommendations: 1 Establish EU-wide ethical guidelines for the use of novel data in transition monitoring, ensuring privacy, fairness, and cross-border comparability. 2 Fund and promote open, transparent datasets and mandate methodological transparency in all EU-funded sustainability programs. 3 Enable GDPR-compliant access to platform data for public interest research, while safeguarding vulnerable communities. 4 Recognize citizen-generated data as legitimate and embed public participation in environmental governance processes. 5 Boost public sector data literacy and create inclusive, participatory processes for data governance at all levels. 📘 Download the full brief here: https://lnkd.in/eNgNh3aR 
 Let’s work toward transitions that are not just smart – but just. #JustTransition #EthicalData #SustainabilityMetrics #OpenData #DataJustice #SPES #HorizonEurope #PolicyBrief #EnvironmentalGovernance #CitizenScience

As climate change accelerates, policymakers and researchers need immediate access to accurate, science-based data to inform critical decisions about natural climate solutions and forest conservation efforts. That's why the nonprofit CTrees developed the first global system to monitor, report, and verify (MRV) carbon stocks and land-use activities for every ecosystem on land, delivering critical data needs of policy and markets. In this blog, Aleena Ashary and Jules Marenghi explain how CTrees has used the cash funding and cloud credits from its 2024 Amazon Web Services (AWS) Imagine Grant to enhance the organization’s flagship Jurisdictional MRV (JMRV) tool. This free, open data platform provides precise annual measurements of carbon stocks, forest area, emissions, and land use activities—revolutionizing how governments and organizations track climate policy progress and develop jurisdictional carbon credit programs. https://lnkd.in/grmttxXD

Developing and emerging nations in the Global South must enhance the transparency and accessibility of climate change and other interconnected data. This is crucial because it enables them to make informed decisions and take appropriate action to address the challenges posed by these variables. Currently, adaptations are granted at face value. The funding is awarded to those with the most appealing policies that resonate with the sponsor. Typically, vulnerability, risk, and cost projection datasets are used to determine project feasibility. The lack of such data makes it challenging to understand the cost-effectiveness fully and attribute the impacts of projects. Developing nations should enhance data availability to improve the translation of paper money into concrete actions. This is possible by continuously gathering and storing datasets on climate scenarios, future predictions, and climate investments on an open-source platform, which will also increase accessibility. Access to data is a significant issue in Africa, where obtaining free datasets can be time-consuming, even at climate centres. Accessibility to data should not only be available to foreign investors alone but also to local people and private organisations. Providing access to data to local people will encourage the development of interventions informed by concrete and research-based datasets. Locally led initiatives are often developed without such a backing. Improving the accessibility and transparency of data for the private sector will increase their buy-in to invest, as risks can be better informed through conventional approaches. This will lead to a better use of resources, as gaps in the data will be identified after investing. Additionally, states should encourage the cross-sector and cross-organisation sharing of datasets to increase efficacy by merging resources to address common issues and avoid overlapping roles and responsibilities that the same dataset in multiple organisations can address.

🌍 #𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮, #𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 #𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? 🌱 Imagine a world where every decision about climate action is informed by inclusive, intersectional data. A world where the unique #challenges faced by young women from developing countries, #Indigenous communities, and those with #disabilities are not just acknowledged but actively addressed. As someone passionate about gender equality and #climatejustice, I believe data is the bridge between understanding and action. Gender-#disaggregateddata helps us uncover how climate change impacts women and #marginalized groups differently—whether it’s access to resources, #mobility during crises, or representation in decision-making. Yet, these stories often remain invisible in mainstream climate narratives. Recognizing the #intersectionality and the need for diverse voices in shaping our digital future is important, including #youth from developing countries, least-developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island development states, as well as young Indigenous women, and young women with disabilities. 📊 Why does this matter? Without robust #data, policies risk being one-size-fits-all, and ignore local solutions tailored to each country's circumstances, leaving behind those who are most #vulnerable. By integrating gender-sensitive metrics into climate strategies, we can ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their contributions to adaptation and mitigation are recognized. 💡 The way forward: - Leverage digital tools like satellite imagery and mobile apps to collect real-time gender data. - Partner with local women’s organizations to design community-driven solutions. - Advocate for inclusive climate #policies that prioritize equity at every level. Let’s work together to ensure that no one is left behind in the fight for a sustainable future. 🌟 #GenderEquality #ClimateAction #Intersectionality #DataForGood #Sustainability #WomenInClimate #SDGs #SDG5 #SDG10 #SDG13

🌐 New from The Open Working Group-O)W(G: Digital Equity & Climate Resilience – A Blueprint for the Future 🌱 We’re excited to share our latest article exploring how digital public infrastructure (DPI), when designed with equity and resilience at its core, can serve as a powerful lever to address the intersecting challenges of digital exclusion and climate vulnerability. 🔍 What’s inside the article? We unpack a forward-looking framework that: ✅ Connects digital equity with climate justice, emphasising how digital tools can help frontline communities adapt and thrive. ✅ Explores the role of inclusive DPI in delivering accessible, affordable, and reliable services — from early warning systems to digital finance. ✅ Highlights pathways for global cooperation, with a focus on empowering local communities and scaling public-private solutions that work. ✅ Advocates for a rights-based, inclusive approach to digitalisation, embedding climate and gender responsiveness into design. Whether you work in tech, climate policy, finance, or development, this piece provides helpful tips for building systems that leave no one behind. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d2UVhPcV Venu Borra Bob Gravestijn Fleur Boos Dr Maria Mogilnaya Mahika Ravi Shankar Deepesh Patel Lorena Mª Sánchez Macanás María del Sagrario Navarro Lérida #DigitalEquity #ClimateResilience #DigitalPublicInfrastructure #SustainableDevelopment #TechForGood #OWG #Inclusion #ResilienceByDesign #ClimateJustice