• Transforming Ideas Into Action
• Combating Climate Change
  • Why Climate Change?
  • Our Approach
  • Cities
  • Building Retrofit
  • Waste
  • Outdoor Lighting
  • Project 2°
  • Climate Positive
  • Transportation
  • Clean Energy
  • Solar Energy
  • Carbon Capture and Storage
  • Forests
  • Measuring Carbon
  • Financing
  • Project Design
  • What We've Accomplished
  • News and Media
  • Contacting CCI
• Treating HIV/AIDS & Malaria
• Fighting Childhood Obesity
• Promoting Economic Opportunity
• Creating Sustainable Development in Africa
• Enabling Sustainable Development

Climate Positive

The Climate Positive Development Program was created to meet the dual challenge of rapid urban growth and climate change by setting a new global benchmark for leadership in large-scale urban development. Launched in May 2009 by the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the program supports the development of large-scale urban projects that will demonstrate that cities can grow in ways that are "climate positive," striving to reduce the amount of on-site CO₂ emissions to below zero. Specific program deliverables include the creation of a ‘Climate Positive’ greenhouse gas metric and measurement standard as well as project technical support, business and financial analysis, and partnership facilitation.

Population Growth

Addressing how cities grow is critical to meeting the dual challenge of climate change and urbanization. Last year, for the first time, half the world’s population lived in cities. That figure is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050. Today, cities occupy just 2 percent of the world’s landmass, but are responsible for more than two-thirds of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Current urban development patterns will not sustain the projected growth: They must be reinvented.

The Climate Positive Development Program will drive market transformation by integrating and deploying CCI’s full range of ‘Cities’ programs – including building retrofit, waste management, outdoor lighting, transportation, and other areas – into a focused partnership with 17 participating large-scale urban developments on six continents.

Innovations

Selected for their commitment to leadership, local governments and real estate developers will work in partnership with CCI and other experts to implement economically viable innovations towards achieving Climate Positive goals, which may include:

• Buildings: develop high efficiency, high performance ‘green’ buildings
• Energy: 100% clean energy generation
• Transportation: create an interconnected transport system and land-use pattern that shifts from auto to walking, biking and public transit
• Waste: facilitate advanced and integrated waste management strategies to achieve zero waste communities
• Water: maximize efficiency and implement greywater systems
• Materials: optimize environmental performance, use local materials
• Sequestration: facilitate integrated environmental and ecosystem management to contribute to closing the emissions cycle on-site.

‘Climate Positive’ Locations

When the initial 17 projects are completed, nearly one million people will live and work in Climate Positive communities. These communities will be located in: Melbourne, Australia and Sydney, Australia; Palhoça, Brazil; Toronto, Canada; Victoria, Canada; Ahmedabad, India; Jaipur, India; outside Panama City, Panama; Pretoria, South Africa; Johannesburg, South Africa; Seoul, South Korea; Stockholm, Sweden; London, UK; San Francisco, USA and Destiny Florida, USA.