COVID-19, Data, and Climate Change

The briefing compares the systemic challenges of COVID-19 and climate change, highlighting how data lags and inconsistent reporting hinder effective decision-making. It advocates for a shift toward standardized, open-source data ecosystems, potentially led by non-state actors, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

• Both COVID-19 and climate change are systemic problems characterized by interconnected global systems where disturbances in one area cause cascading failures, and where critical tipping points can lead to irreversible damage, disproportionately affecting poorer populations.
• Current climate data systems are hindered by significant lags and inconsistencies; for example, the monitoring, reporting, and verification system for the Paris Agreement depends on self-reported national inventories that are delayed by over two years.
• Because international government-led coordination has been insufficient for timely climate interventions, networks of non-state actors, such as corporations and NGOs, may be better equipped to develop borderless data solutions.
• While initiatives like the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), ClimateWatch, WattTime, and the Coalition on Materials Emissions Transparency (COMET) are increasing ambition, climate data efforts remain fragmented.
• The ultimate goal for energy transformation is the creation of an integrated, open-source system that provides global emissions maps with real-time data, reduced uncertainty, and increasing granularity.

APA

RMI (2020). COVID-19, Data, and Climate Change. https://rmi.org/resources/covid-19-reinforces-datas-critical-intervention-role-with-climate-change/

Chicago

RMI. COVID-19, Data, and Climate Change. 2020. https://rmi.org/resources/covid-19-reinforces-datas-critical-intervention-role-with-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=COVID-19, Data, and Climate Change |date=6 April 2020 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/covid-19-reinforces-datas-critical-intervention-role-with-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2020covid19, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{COVID-19, Data, and Climate Change}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/covid-19-reinforces-datas-critical-intervention-role-with-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }