Our Work

The Center for Global Development (CGD) tackles the serious problem of climate change through its Confronting Climate Change Initiative. CGD recognizes that unabated carbon emissions pose a grave threat in terms of economic growth, agricultural production, mortality, and poverty within the developing world.

In 2007, CGD received a voluminous set of data tables that indexed carbon emissions for over 50,000 power plants across the globe -– at the time, the most expansive inventory of its type. CGD sought an innovative partner that could convert this raw data into a compelling story about the level of emissions from these power plants. CGD wished to transcend static spreadsheets to create an interactive user-focused tool. Forum One' s solution was CARMA.org — Carbon Monitoring for Action — a site that features a compelling visualization of carbon-emitting power plants. Through the use of Google Maps mashups, blogs, and import software, Forum One helped CGD deliver detailed, localized policy data in an understandable format. CARMA is also an extensible platform. An application programming interface (API) enables outside developers to construct additional widgets and mashups using CGD's data. The site has since received overwhelming positive media coverage and was named a Webby Honoree for "excellence on the internet" by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.