The Clinton Foundation and Microsoft have announced a long-term partnership to develop a suite of technology tools that will enable cities to accurately monitor, compare and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The partnership aims to empower cities with relevant technology to address shared global environmental issues. The Clinton Foundation and Microsoft will be assisted in developing these new measurement tools by ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability and the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

Microsoft, together with a consortium of partners, will develop a single Web solution to allow cities to clearly understand their environmental footprint. With this information, cities can make better choices as they aim to improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The new online, Web-based software tools will be provided pro bono to cities and will be available by the end of the year. The software tools will support cities to collaborate in new ways via the Web and online communities, enabling them to work together to monitor their progress and share best practices. They will be compatible with existing emissions reduction tools for cities, allowing the export and import of data from other systems.

The completed measurement tools will consist of a multilingual, online and offline software service accessible around the world. Microsoft will lead the technical software development, and will help establish a consortium of private sector partners that will support the cities in the creation and long-term sustainability of the project. The Clinton Climate Initiative will direct the project and disseminate the new tool to cities that are taking action to curb carbon emissions around the world. For more information please visit Microsoft’s website here.