Committee explores Carbon Disclosure Project participation as a benchmarking tool

A committee member (speaker 7) introduced CDP, noting it began on the corporate side and that CDP cities now allow municipalities to submit climate and emissions data for benchmarking and investment signaling. "Carbon Disclosure Project is what it used to be called. Now they just go by CDP," the speaker said, and described CDP as a donor-funded nonprofit offering scoring and peer comparisons.

The member said CDP participation can be time-consuming but feasible for a small city; data can be kept confidential and the process can surface risks, mitigation strategies and opportunities other cities have used. "For us, it would be, hey: can we evaluate how sustainable or climate resilient this city is relative to other cities," the speaker said, adding they would bring a fuller packet to a future meeting.

Committee members asked whether comparable smaller Southeastern cities participate and whether the city should do a dry run without formally submitting data. The speaker recommended starting with research and an internal assessment; staff and council approval would be needed before formal participation. Members agreed to ask the presenter to return with more materials and possible next steps.