The Association of Climate Change Officers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization for executives and officials worldwide in industry, government, academia and the non-profit community. ACCO seeks to enable all organizations to be more sustainable by building enterprise capacity and empowering leaders to respond to climate change threats and increase business competitiveness.

MISSION: ACCO defines, develops and supports the functions, resources and communities necessary for effective organizational leadership in addressing climate-related risks and opportunities.

Highlights

• Professionals from more than 150 leading organizations have formally participated in ACCO as members, partners or advisors
• Sole partner to the White House Council on Environmental Quality in producing the GreenGov Symposium in 2011 and 2012
• Partner to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in administering the EPA's Climate Leadership Awards since 2011
• Recognized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as an NGO Observer in 2013
• Founded in 2008 and incorporated in 2009; first membership oriented professional development organization for climate change practitioners across all sectors
• More than 4,000 climate, sustainability and environmental professionals have participated in ACCO programs since 2011

Key Initiatives

• CCO™ Certification — ACCO envisions the transformation of business practices to reduce global warming pollution; partnerships that revolutionize the resiliency of supply chains; and governmental engagement to achieve climate change mitigation and adaptation ensuring a world economy based on resiliency. In effort to achieve this transformation, ACCO is establishing a modular certification program that enables leaders to pursue tailored curriculum for their individual needs, organizational sectors and job functions. This program is designed to develop a climate-savvy workforce, as well as recognize individuals with the CCO™ designation and modular certificates related to their respective roles.
• Women’s Climate Collaborative — Positioning women to demonstrate leadership and advance their careers while harnessing their commitment to address climate change. The WCC was established to encourage and promote the professional advancement of women in the climate and sustainability professions.
• Future CCOs Fellowship Program — This program establishes a professional track for graduates pursuing opportunities in the profession of climate change leadership. Employer partners have included The Coca-Cola Company, City of Las Vegas, Lockheed Martin, Greater Bridgeport Regional Council and WGL Holdings, and university partners are Duke University’s Nicholas School for the Environment, Arizona State University School for Sustainability, Bren School of Environmental Management at UC-Santa Barbara, and Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
• Knowledge Center — Development and publication of a growing library of research projects, case studies and white papers. Current long-term projects include research on climate governance structures and practices in the public sector, job stress amongst climate practitioners, and best practices for large-scale renewable energy strategies

Community: Climate Change Professionals

• Professionals whose responsibilities are focused exclusively upon addressing climate change impacts on operations
• Professionals charged with addressing sustainability and environmental issues related to an organization’s operations
• Professionals whose primary functions are in areas not traditionally considered environmental roles (e.g. procurement)
• Professionals with expertise in climate change whose efforts are not focused upon their own organization’s operations

Current Research

• Analyzing climate governance structures in national and subnational government
• Researching stress impacts upon climate-focused professionals in large organizations