Readout of the Tenth Greening Government Initiative Meeting
GGI Countries Shared Approaches on Measuring Progress on Greening Government Efforts
Yesterday, representatives of 55 countries participated in the tenth meeting of the Greening Government Initiative (GGI). The meeting focused on how national governments can track and measure progress to decarbonize government operations.
Tracking and measuring progress is vital to the credibility and success of efforts to green governments. Data-driven, transparent approaches and regular analyses help ensure that countries meet their sustainability objectives for national government operations. The United States Government, through the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), publishes scorecards that track individual government agencies’ progress in achieving goals related to greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-free electricity procurement, zero-emission vehicle acquisitions, and other key areas. This information is publicly available at www.sustainability.gov/progress.html.
This meeting featured presentations from the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Rachel Tuckett of the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs opened the session with a presentation highlighting the United Kingdom’s Greening Government Commitments (GGCs), the environmental sustainability reporting framework the UK has been using since 2010. Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment followed with a presentation on Nigeria’s Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) tracking methods. Anne Fernqvist of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) shared best practices on data and benchmarking from the UNDP’s Greening Moonshot Initiative.
GGI will hold its eleventh meeting in April 2024, which will focus on economic incentives for greening government operations.
About the Greening Government Initiative
Launched by the United States and Canada in April 2021, the Greening Government Initiative (GGI) is a first-of-its-kind initiative that enables countries to exchange information, promote innovation, and share best practices to support global efforts to green national government operations and meet Paris Agreement commitments on climate change. To date, 51 countries have joined the initiative. For more information about the Greening Government Initiative, visit https://www.sustainability.gov/ggi/.
About the U.S. Federal Sustainability Plan
In December 2021, President Biden charged the U.S. Government to lead by example by using its scale and procurement power to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Through Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, and President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, Federal infrastructure will be transitioned to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings, all powered by carbon pollution-free electricity. The Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, which is a part of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is leading the implementation of the executive action and plan. For more information about the Federal Sustainability Plan, visit https://www.sustainability.gov/plan.
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