The Climate Group, EP100, and the Under2 Coalition Explained

1.1 What is the Climate Group?

The Climate Group is an international non-profit based in London. It builds networks of businesses and of governments that act on climate change. A subnational government means a state, region or province, one level below the national government.

• Legal start: its company was incorporated in November 2003 and gained charitable status in March 2004.
• Own wording: its About page also says it was “Founded in 2004”.
• Reach: it works with 650+ businesses and close to 200 subnational governments.
• Offices: it has teams in the UK, US, Mexico, India, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan and China.

1.2 Who launched EP100?

In its 2018 and 2019 EP100 pages, the Climate Group said EP100 was delivered in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy. Those pages do not name the International Energy Agency (IEA) as a partner.

On the archived January 2022 EP100 page, the IEA appears only as the source of an estimate. The Climate Group quotes it as saying that over 40% of the emissions cuts needed for climate goals can come from energy efficiency.

Energy productivity is the economic output you get from each unit of energy used. Raising it means doing more with less energy. EP100 members chose one of three commitments: double energy productivity, roll out energy management systems, or reach net zero carbon buildings.

1.3 Which Indian companies are EP100 members?

The member list names several Indian companies. They include Mahindra & Mahindra and Dalmia Cement, among others, such as UltraTech Cement, Godrej & Boyce, Chalet Hotels and Swaraj Engines. Mahindra & Mahindra and Dalmia Cement each committed to double energy productivity by 2030, against baselines of 2008 and 2010.

A common mix-up is Infosys. It does not appear on the EP100 member lists. Infosys is a member of RE100, the renewable electricity campaign.

2.1 What are RE100, EP100, EV100 and EV100+?

The Climate Group runs several campaigns for companies. Each has its own focus. Read this table first, then the notes below it.

This table covers only the “100” campaigns. The Climate Group also runs other programmes, such as SteelZero and ConcreteZero. Counts change, so each one is dated or taken from the page named.

2.2 What is RE100?

RE100 was launched at Climate Week NYC in 2014 with a small group of businesses. Its members commit to using 100% renewable electricity by 2050 at the latest.

As of October 2026, its page shows over 400 members in over 150 markets. The Climate Group says these members use more than 550 TWh of power a year, which is more than South Korea uses.

Infosys is on the RE100 member list. The list shows it joined in 2015, with a target year of 2030.

2.3 What happened to EP100?

The Climate Group’s energy page says the Smart Energy Coalition was previously called EP100. It brings together over 100 businesses that aim to improve energy efficiency. The coalition page says EP100 was launched “nearly a decade ago”.

An archived EP100 page from December 2023 said over 125 businesses. An archived January 2022 page said over 120. Member counts change, so quote the date with the number.

2.4 What are EV100 and EV100+?

EV100 brings together companies that are moving to electric vehicles. The Climate Group marked its fifth-year anniversary in September 2022.

An archived June 2025 page says over 120 companies are making commitments across 100 markets, and 5.75 million vehicles are committed by 2030. It also says 400,000+ EVs were deployed.

EV100+ is the newer campaign. It targets medium and heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks. The Climate Group says all new trucks sold in major markets need to be zero-emission by 2040.

India’s JSW Steel is listed among its members. It plans to move about 500 diesel vehicles above 7.5 tonnes to electric by 2040.

2.5 Can one company join several campaigns?

Yes. A Climate Group news item calls companies in RE100, EP100 and EV100 together “Triple-Joiners”.

3.1 Who runs it, and who are its members?

The Climate Group acts as the secretariat of the Under2 Coalition. A secretariat is the office that runs a group’s daily work. The International Energy Agency does not run this one either.

The Coalition is an alliance of state and regional governments. The Climate Group calls it the largest global network of states and regions committed to net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

3.2 How big is it?

• Now: 183 states, regions, provinces and subnational governments, plus other entities, for more than 270 actors in all. Together they account for more than 50% of global GDP.
• July 2024: an archived snapshot gave 178 governments, more than 270 actors in total and more than 50% of global GDP.
• Reach: the network page says 1 in 8 people on Earth are represented by its member governments.

Different pages count members in different ways. One page gives 187 states and regions, and the decade page’s five-year highlight says over 220. So compare only numbers that carry the same date and the same counting rule.

3.3 Who leads it?

The Coalition has co-chairs who guide its policies. The current page names Querétaro, Scotland and Western Cape. A larger steering group meets quarterly and supports them.

The member governments meet once a year at the General Assembly. The Coalition also has formal agreements with the European Committee of the Regions, Regions4 and Resilience Rising.

4.1 How did it start?

The Under2 Coalition was formed in May 2015 by the governments of California and Baden-Württemberg. They wanted bold subnational action before COP21, the Paris climate conference.

It grew from just 12 founding members. The Climate Group has worked with states and regions since 2005. The Coalition builds on its forerunner, the States and Regions Alliance.

4.2 Where the name "Under2" actually comes from

The 2016 Under2 MOU site says the name refers to two goals. An MOU is a memorandum of understanding, a written agreement that is not a treaty.

• Limit global warming to below 2°C.
• Limit emissions to 2 tons per capita, or 80 to 95% below 1990 levels, by 2050.

The Climate Group says the MOU is not legally binding. Governments that sign or endorse it become part of the Coalition.

4.3 What changed in 2021?

In 2021, members of the Steering Group revised the original MOU to match the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. Signatories must now commit to reach net zero emissions by 2050, or earlier.

5.1 What did the 2020 pairs question ask?

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, asked about four international agreements or set-ups. Candidates had to match each one to its subject.

• UPSC CSP 2020, Q10 UPSC CSP 2020 GS Paper I, Q10. Official paper: question paper, Series A. Official key: option (c), 1 and 3 only.

The options in the paper were:

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 4 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 2, 3 and 4 only

5.2 Why are pairs 1 and 3 right?

The WHO says the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 identified primary health care as the key to reaching the goal of Health for All. So pair 1 is about the healthcare of the people.

The Talanoa Dialogue was a 2018 dialogue among countries under the climate talks. COP21 decided to hold it to take stock of efforts towards the Paris long-term goal. So pair 3 is about global climate change.

5.3 Why are pairs 2 and 4 wrong?

The official key does not accept pair 2. That pair matches the Hague Convention with biological and chemical weapons.

Pair 4 is wrong for a clear reason. The Under2 Coalition is about climate change, not child rights. The question took a real name and gave it a false subject.

Always ask what a coalition actually does before matching it to a theme.

6.1 Which Indian companies are involved?

India shows up on both sides of the Climate Group’s work. First, the company side.

• EP100: Mahindra & Mahindra and Dalmia Cement are among the members.
• RE100: Infosys joined in 2015, with a target year of 2030.
• EV100+: JSW Steel is listed as a member.

A company joining a campaign does not make its home state an Under2 member. The two tracks are separate.

6.2 Which Indian states have joined the Under2 Coalition?

The Coalition’s network page lists eight Indian members. They are Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura and West Bengal.

Older notes say seven. The page now lists eight, so use the current count and note its date.

7.1 Why is the IEA a tempting wrong answer?

• The International Energy Agency is a real, well-known energy body. That makes it a believable wrong option.
• A famous name next to an initiative does not mean that body runs it. Always check the real partner.
• The Climate Group’s own strength is running company networks (RE100, EP100, EV100) and a government network (Under2) from one organisation.

Rule of thumb: the 2018 and 2019 EP100 pages list the Climate Group plus the Alliance to Save Energy. Under2 means state and regional governments, with the Climate Group as secretariat.

7.2 What happened at COP30?

The Climate Group says COP30 in Belém marks ten years since the Paris Agreement. Its COP30 page is a pre-event notice. It says a Governors Roundtable in Rio de Janeiro was scheduled for 3 November 2025. The roundtable was to reflect on the Coalition’s first decade.

The Global States and Regions Summit was scheduled for 4 November 2025. It was to be convened with Bloomberg Philanthropies, within the COP30 Local Leaders Forum.

7.3 Quick Q&A