London Climate Action Week (LCAW) has quickly become one of the most influential global forums for climate leaders, innovators, and policymakers. This year, CityCatalyst joined the conversation with active participation across several sessions, including one with  Strategic Partnerships Lead Carole Viaene and presence from CEO Martin Wainstein, reinforcing our commitment to accelerating climate action through digital infrastructure.

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At the heart of our contribution was CityCatalyst, OpenEarth’s open-source platform designed to help cities transform climate data into replicable, finance-ready climate projects.

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Why Cities Matter

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Cities are on the front lines of climate change. They produce over 70% of global CO₂ emissions and house the majority of climate-vulnerable populations. Yet, many cities, especially small and medium-sized ones, struggle with fragmented data, limited resources, and insufficient technical capacity.

CityCatalyst was developed to address these challenges by offering:

• Centralized and augmented emissions data
  
  
• Automated inventories and standardized reports
  
  
• AI-assisted analysis and risk identification
  
  
• Tools to align local plans with national and international frameworks
  
  

Its ultimate goal: To drastically shorten the time it takes cities to go from climate data to climate action.

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A Platform Built for Scale and Trust

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A key insight at LCAW 2025 was the need for a systemic approach that builds trust across stakeholders to enable faster deployment. Trust between governments, funders, innovators, and local communities is essential to scale any climate solution.

CityCatalyst embodies this principle through:

• Open-source infrastructure that promotes transparency and shared learning
  
  
• Modular design that adapts to local contexts while enabling replication
  
  
• Built-in governance tools to ensure data stewardship and collaboration
  
  
• Interoperability with existing city systems and national reporting platforms
  
  

This approach enables consultants, city networks, and governments to work together efficiently, eliminating redundancies and aligning procurement and project delivery with climate goals.

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A Real-World Example: CHAMP Brazil

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During LCAW, we also shared insights from our ongoing collaboration with the CHAMP project in Brazil, in partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors, C40 Cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies and others.

Through CHAMP, CityCatalyst is being deployed across 50+ cities, with the goal of expanding to over 5,000 municipalities. The platform is used to align local climate inventories and action plans with national targets, streamlining data collection, reporting, and access to funding.

This work demonstrates how open digital infrastructure can unlock systemic collaboration at scale.

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Emerging Themes from LCAW 2025

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Some of the most relevant trends discussed at London Climate Action Week that directly intersect with our mission at CityCatalyst include:

• The rise of AI in climate planning: Predictive and generative AI models are unlocking new ways to design, validate, and finance projects. CityCatalyst integrates AI to support cities from diagnosis to deployment.
  
  
• Procurement as a climate lever: Cities control massive purchasing power. Aligning procurement practices with climate objectives, backed by standardized data, can accelerate project delivery and reduce risk for innovation.
  
  
• The importance of shared infrastructure: Scalable tools like CityCatalyst offer a pathway to reduce duplication of efforts, bridge data gaps, and ensure that even resource-constrained cities can participate in global climate action.
  
  

Looking Ahead

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Our presence at LCAW 2025 reinforced the need for radical collaboration, open digital systems, and data integrity to scale urban climate solutions.

At Open Earth Foundation, we will continue to improve CityCatalyst as a shared tool for cities, consultants, and national programs, turning emissions data into action plans, and plans into impactful, fundable projects.

To learn more about CityCatalyst and how it supports climate action across cities, visit: CityCatalyst Website