Public Consultations Now Open: Scope 2 and Electricity Sector Consequential Accounting LEARN MORE
Because the value of fossil fuel companies is based on the size of their reserves, it may seem counter-intuitive to see some of these assets as potential risks. But changes in market or economic conditions can make some reserves too expensive to tap, leaving them stranded – and their owners more vulnerable than the size of their reserves would indicate.
The GHG Protocol offers two new online courses for policymakers and analysts at either the national or local level. The courses are intended to help users understand the Policy and Action Standard and Mitigation Goal Standard and apply the standard to their specific circumstances.
For many businesses, value chain (scope 3) emissions account for more than 70 percent of their carbon footprint. Measuring and managing these emissions can motivate a company to do business with greener suppliers, improve the energy efficiency of its products, and rethink its distribution network -- measures that significantly reduce the overall impact on the climate.
On January 20, the GHG Protocol released the Scope 2 Guidance: an amendment to the Corporate Standard. It is the first major revision to the Corporate Standard in over 11 years. To help companies start implementing the Guidance, here are a few answers to the top ten questions you might have and where to find more information in the Guidance document.
Tunisia launched its renewable energy program, PROSOL ELEC, in 2010 to scale up solar photovoltaic systems in buildings throughout the country. The National Agency for Energy Conversation (ANME) anticipated that the greater use of solar power would help curb climate change, but experts didn’t quantify just how much the program would reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
This blog reflects recommendations advanced through the Scope 2 Technical Working Group and formally approved by the Independent Standards Board for public consultation via vote, resulting in proposed revisions to the 2015 Scope 2 Guidance. All proposals remain subject to public consultation.
Summary
Following recommendations from the Scope 2 Technical Working Group and approval by the GHG Protocol Independent Standards Board to progress to public consultation, revisions to the Scope 2 Guidance (2015) will be shared through a 60-day public consultation period, starting in October. In the proposed revisions, the structure of the updated scope 2 reporting framework would remain the same, including a continuation of the dual reporting requirement for both the location-based and market-based methods. Changes to the location-based method (e.g., updated emission factor hierarchy, requirement to use the most precise emission factors accessible, a new definition of accessible data) and market-based method (e.g., hourly matching requirement, deliverability requirement, new emission factor requirements) prioritize improved accuracy, greater transparency, and provide more comparability inventory values for use by external disclosure frameworks and initiatives. The proposed revisions also introduce several measures to improve the implementation feasibility of the updates (e.g., load profiles for hourly matching, exemption thresholds to hourly matching for smaller organizations, a legacy clause for existing contracts, and a multiyear phased implementation). This is the first of several communications in a series leading up to and continuing through the Scope 2 public consultation. These updates will help explain what is being proposed and why, providing additional context for stakeholder engagement. Future blog posts will delve into hourly and deliverability requirements and provide guidance on how to participate in the upcoming consultation process.
Written By Geraldine Matchett, Chair of the GHG Protocol Steering Committee
On September 9, 2025 GHG Protocol and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced a ground-breaking partnership, aimed at reducing fragmentation in the GHG accounting landscape. This new partnership drives forward an ambition of harmonization and co-development, resulting in a common global language for emissions measurement and reporting and thus simplifying the task at hand for companies, consultants, verifiers, auditors, conformity assessment bodies, and other third parties (e.g., trainers and software companies). It also aligns with growing calls for harmonization, including most recently by the B7 community, which is tasked with consolidating the interests of the business community and developing concrete and actionable recommendations to the G7 leadership.
GHG Protocol is currently in the process of updating its corporate suite of standards and guidance, including its Scope 2 Guidance (2015). In the decade since the Scope 2 Guidance was published, there have been significant changes within the GHG emissions accounting and reporting ecosystem, including the development of both voluntary and mandatory disclosure frameworks and the increase in adoption of net-zero emissions targets.