ISO and GHG Protocol launch webinars to advance global carbon accounting

ISO and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) convened the first in a series of webinars to advance joint work to harmonize global carbon accounting standards under the COP Action Agenda.

This follows last year's announcement of an ISO-GHGP partnership, which aims to bring greater consistency, comparability and trust to the way carbon emissions are measured and reported worldwide.

The session brought together representatives from government, business and finance at a pivotal moment for climate action. As speakers noted, the conversation has moved from setting targets to achieving measurable results. Delivering on climate commitments now depends on systems that are consistent, credible and scalable.

In her opening remarks, Bruna Cerqueira, Coordinator of the COP30 Presidency Action Agenda, highlighted the importance of alignment: "Carbon accounting is one of those key measures where we need to accelerate action in industry. That's why it's so important that ISO and GHG Protocol have launched this plan to accelerate the harmonization of carbon accounting - it's crucial for us to move forward."

The ISO-GHGP partnership seeks to align corporate, product and project-level emissions accounting within a coherent global framework. The objective is not to lower ambition, but to strengthen accountability across value chains by improving comparability and usability of emissions information.

Marco Rossi, Director of Standardization at ISO, emphasized the practical dimension of the work: "Carbon accounting needs to be clear and cost-effective for those who implement it. ISO and GHGP are creating a toolbox of corporate and product emissions accounting. This is powerful - you have one place to go - one coherent set of definitions, datasets and language. Businesses will no longer have to pick and choose."

A harmonized system can enable low-carbon products to compete on a level playing field, support investors in making informed decisions and help direct capital toward credible decarbonization pathways.

As Anna Stanley-Radière, Head of Partnerships and External Affairs at GHGP, noted: "It is critical that we build upon and leverage the carbon accounting work that's already there, strengthen it and bring in new ideas."

Looking ahead, the COP30 Presidency expressed its hope that progress on harmonization can be demonstrated by the time delegates meet at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, as the framework continues to evolve in collaboration with international partners.

The February webinar marks the beginning of a broader engagement process throughout 2026. This includes a deep-dive session on product-level accounting being held in April.

The series of webinars is open and multi-stakeholder by design. ISO and GHGP invite all organizations and experts interested in contributing to engage as the work progresses.

Webinar panellists included:

• Marco Rossi, Director, Standardization, ISO

• Craig Hanson, member of the Steering Committee, GHG Protocol & Managing Director, WRI

• Dominic Waughray, member of the Steering Committee, GHG Protocol & EVP, WBCSD

• Anna Stanley-Radière, Head of Partnerships and External Affairs, GHG Protocol
  

View the full webinar recording

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