Why is the NZDPU needed?

The current state of climate data presents significant challenges to achieving the pace and scale of the transition needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

In its November 2022 Recommendations for the Development of the Net-Zero Data Public Utility, the CDSC found that the lack of high-quality, widely accessible private sector climate data is a barrier to nations, financial institutions, and non-financial companies measuring progress toward targets, developing and implementing transition plans, and effectively managing climate-related impacts, risks, and opportunities.

Even when company-level climate data is publicly disclosed, it may not be easily accessible or comparable. The methodologies used, scope of reporting, and granularity of data can vary widely and evolve frequently. Companies often do not have comprehensive access to data within their supply chain or technology solutions for data management. Credibility of progress toward climate targets can be difficult for users to assess, particularly where data is not reported in a consistent manner.

There is a critical need for a global, centralized, open repository for climate transition-related data that brings together a variety of different sources, building on the important work done by the One Planet Data Initiative and a range of other organizations to increase the transparency of climate transition-related data, in one place with enhanced consistency and transparency to serve user needs.

The NZDPU aims to address this challenge - to become a global solution and a global public good - creating the necessary infrastructure for centralizing private sector climate data in a global, centralized, open repository. Building this infrastructure will require greater interoperability of data and continued and increased collaboration from a range of stakeholders that are data users and preparers.