Until now, there was no universal, comprehensive methodology for cities around the world to measure their emissions. One of the tool's creators explains its power in the fight against climate change.

A coalition of the world's biggest cities has launched an international tool that will for the first time allow many local authorities to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, providing them with a baseline...

Cities are not just where 3.5 billion of us live—they are where more than  half of humanity uses electricity, drives cars, and throws out garbage, among myriad other activities that emit greenhouse gases. Now, a global coalition has released the first standardized method for measuring and reporting a given city’s greenhouse gas 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.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol launched a new guidance this week to help agricultural companies measure and manage their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from crop and livestock production. It is the first such international guidance for the sector, and will help underpin efforts to mitigate agriculture’s environmental impact.

Key environmental, sustainability and operational representatives from fourteen leading Indian businesses participated in the first ever GHG Clinic, i.e. capacity building and technical workshop on developing corporate inventories based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and the Corporate Value Chain Standard.

When the 2011 Newsweek Green Rankings were published, it came as a surprise to many that seven of the worst performing US companies were financial firms. The reason for such a poor performance was inadequate reporting of emissions in corporate supply chains; in the case of financial firms, emissions from their lending and investment portfolios.

By Neelam Singh and Avipsa Mahapatra - September 12, 2013 

Rio de Janeiro is a leader among the Brazilian cities aggressively promoting low-carbon development. Now Rio is conducting a GHG inventory for 2012, the first target year under its climate change law.

A growing number of countries and companies now measure and manage their emissions through greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. Cities, however, lack a common framework for tracking their own emissions—until now.

Last week in São Paulo, WRI, ICLEI, C40, USP-IEE, and EMBARQ Brazil jointly brought together more than 200 Brazilian city officials and experts to discuss how to use the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GPC) to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cities.

Scientific understanding of the chemicals that contribute to climate change is constantly improving. So, too, is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), as we work to keep abreast of such advances and ensure that they are reflected in our tools and standards

Low-carbon city development has become a central part of the Malaysian government’s strategy to meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) commitments. The country, currently ranked second in terms of emissions per capita in Southeast Asia, has committed to reduce the emissions intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 40 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

Agriculture is a major actor in spurring global climate change. The sector is already responsible for at least 10-12 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and agricultural emissions are expected to increase by more than 50 percent by 2030.

What do three leading chemical, automobile, and software companies have in common? All three – Honda, BASF, and SAP – are looking to curb risks and take advantage of opportunities across their global supply chains.

This past Sunday, WRI’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol team conducted a session at the Rio+20 event, “The Green Economy: Driving Business Value and Competitiveness.” The session included great dialogue between business leaders, policy makers, and WRI experts, and featured one very significant declaration: The British Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton.

Companies around the world are increasingly measuring and managing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in response to drivers like consumer preference, purchaser demands, and sustainability goals.

NEW DELHI (MARCH 15, 2012) – The Greenhouse Gas Protocol launched two new standards today in New Delhi, India, to empower businesses to better measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle Standards enable companies to save money, reduce risks, and gain competitive advantages.

I was recently at the New York Stock Exchange for the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) Spring Workshop, where I moderated a panel discussion with representatives from Walmart, Microsoft and Coca-Cola on Smart Thinking in Delivering Significant Supply Chain Emissions Reductions. 

Today C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability have released a draft edition of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions, commencing a one month period of public comment on the landmark effort, which harmonizes the emissions measurement and reporting process for cities of all sizes and geographies.