June 1, 2023: GHG Protocol is currently in the process of updating its suite of corporate standards and guidance.

GHG Protocol’s

The Accountability Framework Initiative (AFI), in partnership with Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, developed by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), sets the global standard for how to measure, manage, and report greenhouse gas emissions; these standards are used by thousands of companies to become more efficient, resilient, and prosperous organizations. Hundreds of industry professionals have learned greenhouse gas accounting from WRI experts through in-person and webinar trainings. Now, the same expert instruction is available to you on a low-cost and convenient e-learning platform. Online courses have been developed for the following GHG Protocol standards:

Cold-water laundry detergents, fuel-saving tires, energy-efficient ball bearings, emissions-saving data centers. Corporations are increasingly claiming that their goods and services reduce emissions. But there is a big problem: These avoided emissions claims are often unverifiable or inaccurate.

This week, the Smart Freight Center released the GLEC Framework, a guide for shippers, carriers and logistics service providers on how to report emissions from logistics operations. It is meant to be used in conjunction with the Corporate Standard, and it has earned the “Built on GHG Protocol” mark for its compliance with GHG Protocol’s requirements.

Fossil fuel companies hold vast oil, gas and coal reserves that help determine their market value. These reserves are also the basis to understanding the potential climate risks of burning these fuels. Yet not a single fossil fuel company in the world discloses potential emissions from their reserves – and that is a big problem.

Banks are connected to every part of the economy through their investing and lending activities. That means they play a crucial role in financing the transition to a low-carbon economy. The financial sector is increasingly aware of the need to shift capital flows away from companies and activities that contribute to the climate problem and into climate solutions.

In partnership with China Electricity Council (CEC), WRI developed a greenhouse gas (GHG) calculation tool for Chinese coal-fired power plants.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s leading cities injecting sustainability into its planning. In 2011, Mayor Eduardo Paes enacted an ambitious climate change law, setting a goal to avoid 20 percent of its emissions by 2020, based on 2005 levels. There was only one problem: The city wasn’t sure just how much it was emitting, or where its emissions were coming from.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Quantis have joined forces to develop and launch the Scope 3 Evaluator - a free, web-based tool that allows users to make an initial, rough approximation of their full Scope 3 footprint, regardless of the size or type of organization. Read the full press release here.

Chengdu Development and Reform Commission developed its first greenhouse gas inventory in 2015 (based on 2010 data). This inventory revealed valuable insights about the sources of the city’s emissions. 

China just announced a mitigation goal to peak its emissions by 2030 or earlier, while the United States committed to reduce its national emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. And countless other cities and countries have set similar emissions-reduction targets.

By Laura Draucker - November 05, 2013

As home to 3.5 billion of the world’s population, cities and urban areas play a crucial role in combating global climate change. And today, many of their leaders are announcing steps to do just that.

Low-carbon development has become the core theme of China’s urbanization. In fact, it’s one of the country’s key strategies to achieve its target of reducing carbon intensity by 40-45 percent by 2020.

More than half the world’s people live in cities, and cities are responsible for more than 70 percent of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions on Earth. These dramatic statistics mean cities have a critical role to play in addressing climate change.

Since its creation in 2002, the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders Program has assisted more than 150 companies to develop and implement long-term climate change strategies. This includes developing a GHG inventory, an inventory management plan, and a GHG reduction target. To replicate the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders Program's successful model in India, WRI, U.S. EPA and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Green Business Center (GBC) are partnering together to replicate the Climate Leaders program there.

Last week’s Rio+20 conference failed to yield strong sustainability commitments from corporations. The gap between where we need to get to avoid climate change’s worst effects and the actions companies are willing to take to get us there have never been further apart.