CDP and Google.org launch an AI-powered platform to help cities, states, and regions analyze climate risk and mobilize funding.
CDP data shows subnational climate financing needs have surged to a record $105 billion.
Six-month Google.org Fellowship will deploy AI specialists, engineers, and designers to build an open-source climate intelligence tool.
CDP, the global non-profit behind the world’s largest independent environmental disclosure platform, has partnered with Google.org to develop an artificial intelligence tool designed to help cities, states, and regional governments turn climate data into actionable investment and policy decisions.
The initiative will be delivered through a Google.org Fellowship, which deploys teams of Google engineers, AI specialists, and designers to support high-impact non-profit projects. Over six months, the group will work with CDP to build an open-source platform that integrates Google’s AI and cloud technologies with CDP’s global environmental dataset.
The goal is straightforward: translate vast volumes of climate and environmental data into insights that local governments can use to reduce climate risk, plan resilience strategies, and secure financing.
The partnership arrives at a moment when climate risks at the subnational level are accelerating, while funding for adaptation and mitigation continues to lag demand.
$105 Billion Financing Gap Emerging
CDP’s latest data highlights the scale of the challenge facing local governments worldwide. According to the organization, financing requirements for climate resilience and environmental projects across cities, states, and regions have surged to a record $105 billion.
“CDP isn’t just the world’s only independent platform for corporate sustainability reporting – we also surface climate resilience projects across more than 1,000 cities, states, and regions worldwide. Our data shows a sharp surge in financing requirements for subnational governments soaring to a record US$105 billion. The message is clear: the urgency for increased financial flows has never been greater,” said Sherry Madera, CEO of CDP.
Subnational governments often sit at the frontline of climate impacts, facing growing threats from flooding, extreme heat, water stress, and biodiversity loss. Yet many lack integrated systems that can translate environmental data into clear assessments of risk exposure, investment priorities, and financing opportunities.
As a result, climate finance flows to cities and regions remain well below what is required to support adaptation and decarbonization strategies.
Turning Data Into Actionable Climate Intelligence
The new AI platform aims to address that gap by transforming CDP’s extensive environmental dataset into a decision-support tool for public leaders.
Instead of relying on static reports, the platform will generate tailored insights that allow city and regional governments to identify climate vulnerabilities, evaluate mitigation options, and prioritize projects with the greatest environmental and social impact.
The system will also help subnational authorities communicate their funding needs to investors, multilateral institutions, and development banks, potentially improving access to climate finance.
“We’re proud to be supported by Google.org in building a transformational tool that brings CDP’s powerful data to life and accelerates real-world action. By unlocking the full force of CDP’s unmatched environmental dataset with Google’s talent and cutting-edge AI, we’re equipping subnational leaders with the insight to improve lives, strengthen communities, and drive meaningful, earth-positive decisions at scale,” Madera said.
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Tech Talent Mobilized For Climate Impact
The Google.org Fellowship will provide the technical foundation for the project. The initiative deploys Google employees on a pro bono basis to support non-profits tackling complex global challenges.
For this project, a multidisciplinary team will work alongside CDP to design the platform’s architecture, user experience, and AI models.
The team will integrate Google’s cloud computing infrastructure and machine learning tools to process large environmental datasets and generate usable insights for policymakers.
“The Google.org Fellowship program is one of our most effective models for bringing Google’s technical expertise to help non-profit organizations accelerate their impact,” said Maggie Johnson, Global Head at Google.org. “We believe technology can be a powerful force multiplier, and AI in particular has the power to fundamentally transform how we generate insights from data.”
Why Subnational Climate Intelligence Matters
For investors, development banks, and national governments, the initiative reflects a growing recognition that climate action increasingly happens at the local level.
Cities alone account for more than 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and are responsible for many of the infrastructure investments required for decarbonization and climate resilience.
Yet fragmented data systems often prevent decision-makers from connecting environmental risks with concrete investment pipelines.
By pairing one of the world’s largest climate disclosure datasets with advanced AI analytics, the CDP and Google.org collaboration seeks to bridge that gap.
If successful, the platform could help subnational governments move more quickly from climate reporting to project development, strengthening the pipeline of bankable resilience and decarbonization investments.
In a world where climate risks are increasingly local but financing remains global, tools that translate data into investment-ready action may become central to closing the climate finance gap.
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