What Climate Leadership Council does

The Climate Leadership Council is a Washington, DC-based non-profit policy think tank founded in 2017 that develops and advocates for market-driven climate solutions. It serves U.S. federal and state policymakers, international trade bodies (WTO, EU, UK), energy-intensive U.S. industries, and environmental organizations by producing research, policy analysis, expert testimony, and public comments on carbon pricing, carbon border adjustments, and the climate-trade nexus. Its core programmatic areas include Carbon Advantage (leveraging U.S. carbon efficiency), Trade, Measuring Emissions, Carbon Dividends, Supply Chain Security, and International Investments & Exports, supported by a specialized research sub-brand, the Center for Climate & Trade.

The Council's analytical engine is the proprietary CERT Model (Emissions, Revenues, and Technology Model), a quantitative modeling framework for assessing policy impacts on emissions, energy markets, international trade, and fiscal outcomes. A complementary Revenue Estimator for Pollution Fees projects $120–$240 billion in potential ten-year federal revenues from a carbon fee. The organization publishes extensively — research reports, white papers, op-ds, and blog posts — and engages in direct policy advocacy via USTR and Congressional testimony, COP and WTO forums, and earned media placements in Politico, Bloomberg, and Financial Times.

The Council is funded through donations and grants from businesses, foundations, and individuals; all publications are distributed free of charge. Revenue model is therefore philanthropic rather than commercial, and the 'customer' is fundamentally a set of policy outcomes rather than paying end-users. Leadership includes CEO Greg Bertelsen (who joined the USTR Advisory Committee), Executive Vice Presidents Tiffany Adams and Catrina Rorke, VP of Policy and Research Matt Porterfield, and Director of Research and Analytics Scott Nystrom.

Name

Climate Leadership Council

Legal name

Climate Leadership Council

Website

https://clcouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Climate Leadership Council is a Washington, DC-based non-profit think tank that develops market-driven climate policy solutions — including carbon pricing, carbon border adjustments, and trade-climate frameworks — for U.S. and international policymakers, using its proprietary CERT economic model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE), Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD) (EUABAKAH), Environment, Climate & Sustainability Congresses (THAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Climate policy research
• Carbon pricing advocacy
• Carbon border adjustments
• Emissions analysis
• Trade policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit policy organization, the Climate Leadership Council relies on donations and grants from businesses, foundations, and individuals who support their climate policy mission.
2. Publications and Research: The Council produces research reports, white papers, and policy analysis that may be available for free or through partnerships, supporting their mission to influence climate policy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Climate Leadership Council is a policy research and advocacy organization that develops and advances market-driven climate solutions through six interconnected policy solution areas: Carbon Advantage, Trade, Measuring Emissions, Carbon Dividends, Supply Chain Security, and International Investments & Exports. It produces research reports, policy briefs, op-eds, and expert testimony, and engages directly with U.S. and international policymakers on carbon pricing, carbon border adjustments, supply chain policy, and climate-trade frameworks. Its work is supported by a proprietary quantitative model (CERT) that estimates emissions, revenues, and technology deployment impacts.

Product overview

Climate Leadership Council is a policy organization (not a software product company) that promotes market-driven climate solutions through six interconnected policy solution areas. The core offerings include: Carbon Advantage (highlighting U.S. carbon efficiency), Trade (addressing emissions in traded goods), Measuring Emissions (research on emissions data), Carbon Dividends (carbon pricing proposal), Supply Chain Security, and International Investments & Exports. The Center for Climate and Trade serves as a research hub supporting these initiatives. The organization produces publications, research reports, blog posts, and policy analysis rather than software products or technical platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Climate & Trade: A center under the Climate Leadership Council focused on the intersection of climate policy and international trade.

Products and services

• Carbon Advantage A research and advocacy program that highlights America's carbon efficiency advantage over other economies, enabling U.S. businesses and policymakers to leverage lower-emissions domestic production to boost competitiveness and lower global emissions through market-driven approaches.
• Trade A policy focus area addressing the 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions embedded in internationally traded goods, advocating for trade systems that reward cleaner production and encourage exports of low-carbon technologies and fuels.
• Measuring Emissions A research and policy program focused on accurately measuring carbon intensity and emissions data across industries to support evidence-based climate and trade policymaking.
• Carbon Dividends A policy proposal advocating for economy-wide carbon pricing with dividends distributed to citizens, designed to drive emission reductions while providing financial benefits to households.
• Supply Chain Security A policy initiative addressing how diverse and reliable supply chains are vital for emissions reduction, advocating for U.S. investments in mining and processing paired with innovation to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities.
• International Investments & Exports A policy program advocating for strategies that strengthen U.S. economic standing through international investment and export policies that contribute to lower global emissions, capturing economic, security, geopolitical, and climate benefits.
• Center for Climate and Trade A specialized research center under the Climate Leadership Council focused on the intersection of climate and trade policy, hosting events and producing analysis on carbon border adjustments, climate clubs, and international climate cooperation frameworks.

Quantifiable outcome

• U.S. industry is 40% less carbon intensive than global average
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaharashtra government and MMRDA signed MoU with UNEP as part of Mumbai Climate Week initiatives to position Mumbai as a gateway for climate finance to the Global South.
• C40 CitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaharashtra government and MMRDA signed MoU with C40 Cities as part of climate finance strategy development under Mumbai Climate Week.
• Urban Land Institute IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaharashtra government and MMRDA signed MoU with Urban Land Institute India for urban development aspects of climate finance strategy.
• WRI IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRI India jointly developed a climate finance strategy with MITRA for the Maharashtra government, unveiled during Mumbai Climate Week.
• MITRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMITRA and WRI India developed a climate finance strategy for the Maharashtra government under Mumbai Climate Week initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Resources for the Future (RFF): Long-standing nonpartisan research institution focused on environmental and natural resource economics. Directly comparable as a Washington-based policy research organization producing rigorous economic analysis on climate and energy policy.
• The Breakthrough Institute: Ecomodernist research center championing market-and-technology-driven decarbonization and criticizing traditional environmentalism. Comparable in framing climate as an economic and trade opportunity and in producing rigorous energy/climate policy analysis.
• Niskanen Center: Centrist U.S. policy think tank with an active climate and clean energy program focused on market-based, pragmatic solutions. Highly comparable in scale, Washington-based operations, and bipartisan cross-coalition model.
• Climate Advisers: Strategy consultancy focused on accelerating climate action through policy, finance, and corporate engagement. Comparable as a focused climate-policy organization but operates on a commercial/consulting model rather than nonprofit donations.
• ClearPath: Advocacy organization advancing market-oriented clean energy and climate solutions. Directly comparable in mission, donor-supported nonprofit structure, and emphasis on technology-and-market-driven approaches to emissions reduction.
• R Street Institute: Free-market think tank with substantive energy and climate policy work focused on market-based mechanisms. Comparable in advocacy style, ideologically similar policy framing, and non-lobbying research-based posture.

Broad incumbents

• Bipartisan Policy Center: Larger multi-issue Washington think tank operating a dedicated Energy and Climate Program. Overlapping with the Council on carbon pricing, CBAM, and bipartisan policy work, but with a far broader policy portfolio and deeper institutional resources.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global nonprofit operating the leading climate and environmental disclosure system for companies and cities. Comparable on climate-data and transparency advocacy but operates at significantly greater international scale and through disclosure-mechanism design rather than direct policy commentary.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Major environmental advocacy organization with deep work on carbon pricing, climate markets, and supply-chain decarbonization. Overlaps on climate-trade nexus but is a far larger and more established advocate with broader environmental mission scope.
• Third Way: Centrist U.S. think tank with an Energy & Climate Program advocating market-based clean energy and trade-driven decarbonization. Broadly comparable advocacy posture but operates across many policy domains beyond climate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCLCouncil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/climateleadershipcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-leadership-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Climate Leadership Council