Environmental policies have long been the crucible for open government – from instituting public participation through environmental impact assessments, to disclosure through pollutant release transfer registers, to publishing enforcement and compliance data online. Of course, the challenges of the global climate require new policies, instruments, and innovations to ensure maximum resilience against intensifying climate changes. 

Transparency allows governments, citizens, and markets to see the true cost of pollution and develop responses to that information. It also provides information on the amount of subsidies granted to fossil fuel and related industries. Public participation creates opportunities and forums to discuss and weigh alternative approaches for development. This is especially vital for vulnerable communities who are disproportionately impacted by climate change but who may not typically have a seat in decision-making spaces. Finally, ensuring that there is accountability for decision-making, through adequate access to justice, public oversight of decision-making, and well-established grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms can help ensure safer and healthier communities.

The added pressure of protecting against the worst effects of climate change requires additional innovation. Open data and access to information on greenhouse gas (GHG) contributions can help drive innovation and identify high return-on-investment alternatives to GHG-intensive activities. Public participation in legislation, regulation, and planning for both mitigation and adaptation can increase public buy-in and improve public awareness. This is critical in planning for the increasingly unpredictable and sometimes disastrous effects of a warming world.

As countries rebuild from the devastating e!ects of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have an opportunity to think long-term and invest in a more sustainable future. Many OGP members have created new green initiatives and dedicated recovery spending to green transitions. However, such measures make up only a small fraction of these large amounts of recovery funds, even in countries that portray themselves as climate leaders. Looking ahead, open data about ‘green’ initiatives and contracts as well as oversight of large sums of money – whether domestic or international resources for climate adaptation or mitigation – will be critical to reducing potential for misuse and corruption. 

OGP members are making more environment and climate commitments in recent years. Commitments have often focused on publishing data and research about pollution and climate change, and some commitments seek to involve citizens in environmental policy-making through climate resiliency programs and conservation efforts. Fewer commitments on environment and climate involve public accountability elements, but almost all that do have been evaluated by OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism as highly ambitious.

Governments and civil society alike can use the OGP platform to act and subsequently share their innovations to help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

Greater Scope of Transparency

• Publish sectoral greenhouse gas reporting and ensure data is interoperable for comparison between countries and sectors. 
• Make fossil fuel subsidies and their impact more transparent.
• Provide greater transparency of information on climate in national budgets.
• Improve transparency of the use and impact of green transition funds and plans.
• Disclose climate-related investment risks and corresponding mitigation measures.

Civic Participation

• Guarantee adequate participation, especially for vulnerable groups, in the design and implementation of green measures.
• Invest in climate-smart infrastructure and human systems, and allow the public to help prioritize these investments through participatory budgeting.

Institutional Reform

• Promote regulatory reform, such as by enhancing regulatory impact assessment processes, ending enforcement holidays, and applying a multi-stakeholder approach to regulatory changes. 
• Sponsor research and development with time-limited protections on the data.
• Create robust channels for citizens to seek remedy and redress for harms, present and future.

• World Resources Institute (WRI)
• Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
• Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA)
• E3G
• International Climate Engagement Network, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)
• International Budget Partnership (IBP)
• The International Open Data Charter (ODC)
• Open Contracting Partnership (OCP)
• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)

Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)