The challenge
- Complex organisational boundaries
- Data collection and project management
- Stakeholder involvement
- Evolving landscape
The objective
The 2024 Global Citizen Festival brought 60,000 people together in NYC to celebrate action, music, and progress. The event achieved a major sustainability milestone by cutting diesel generator use by 84% thanks to a new high-capacity battery system.
The Global Citizen Festival sought to understand and reduce the environmental impact of its large-scale live event in Central Park, with the goal of quantifying emissions across all scopes (with a focus on Scope 3), identifying the most carbon-intensive areas of event delivery and establishing a baseline for continuous improvement.
The solution
Stakeholder engagement and data collection from an extensive value chain including production teams, travel coordinators, vendors and artists.
Categorisation of emissions by scope and source in alignment with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
Detailed emissions analysis across audience transport, artist and organiser travel (flights, ground transport, accommodation), materials, freight, waste, food and beverage, and energy use.
A dynamic reporting framework that calculates emissions, highlights reduction opportunities and supports year-on-year comparison.
Delivery of a clear emissions summary with recommendations tailored to event planning and stakeholder engagement.
Results
- In 2024, Global Citizen replaced most diesel generators with a 1,250 kW battery system, reducing assets from 12 units to just 2. Diesel use dropped by 84%, from 6,210 gallons to under 1,000.
- By charging batteries at higher loads (around 80%), generators ran almost twice as efficiently, producing 3.1 kWh per litre of diesel versus 1.6 kWh at lower loads.
- This shift cut run times, improved efficiency by 59%, and delivered a major Scope 1 emissions reduction.
- Most remaining emissions came from global travel, which is expected at an event of this scale. Global Citizen continues to promote low-emission travel options and smarter routing where possible.