The Carbon Call Launches Roadmap to More Interoperable Carbon Accounting

Report outlines ways for companies to better discover, understand and share GHG emissions data; Initiative also welcomes new signatories

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – November 11, 2022 – As pressure mounts on companies to accelerate climate action and take concrete steps toward achieving decarbonization goals, the Carbon Call today released new research aimed at helping corporates discover, understand and share greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data and close the gap in underreported GHG emissions at the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27). Establishing a shared vocabulary and taxonomies, improving companies’ ability to find and access relevant GHG information, and improving an accurate understanding of GHG information shared across systems are among the key opportunities identified by the Carbon Call to tackle constraints in GHG accounting, drive greater interoperability, and build alignment within the private sector.

“Strengthening corporate GHG accounting and reporting is urgently needed if we are to take effective action to reduce GHG emissions drastically and quickly,” said JC Seghers, senior advisor for the Carbon Call. “Our roadmap paves the way for companies to achieve improved interoperability, which is critical for data accessibility, transparency, and reliability across corporate value chains.”

The Carbon Call’s Roadmap to more interoperable greenhouse gas emissions accounting outlines findings and opportunities to drive more interoperable GHG accounting and reporting. The roadmap results from five months of collective problem-solving and is backed by case studies from the Carbon Call’s expert advisory group. It is a living document that will be updated in line with new developments and consensus.

Companies face four primary barriers when gathering, interpreting, and sharing data and information and performing analyses to prepare GHG estimates. These constraints make it difficult for governments and companies to compare, combine, and share reliable data, also known as interoperability:

With growing momentum to address these barriers, the Carbon Call will focus on three areas moving forward: facilitating a digital smart dictionary to promote consistency with terms and classifications; making data discoverable, which is vital to open-source software databases; and establishing metadata requirements. These emerging solutions could serve as building blocks for a future data exchange framework and an interoperable GHG data management environment.

The Carbon Call intends to serve as an accelerator to translate these opportunities into implementation-ready blueprints through expert subgroups that convene the relevant topical and technical experts, refine its blueprint’s scope and timeline, and draft an implementation plan.

The Carbon Call is a fast-growing global corporate initiative to help close the gap in underreported GHG emissions. Development of this roadmap was driven by ClimateWorks and the ICF Climate Center, with direction and guidance from its expert advisory group of 28 organizations. The roadmap incorporates diverse expertise regarding description of the constraints, impacts, and potential solutions that the Carbon Call recommends be addressed as a priority by the GHG management community.

As part of its COP 27 event, the Carbon Call also welcomed six new signatories: AirTrunk, Carbon+Alt+Delete, Cedara, Evalue8 Sustainability, Pavimentos Colombia, and Scope3. These signatories join over 60 organizations representing scientific, corporate, philanthropic, and intergovernmental sectors working to advance more interoperable carbon accounting, including BCG, Capricorn Investment Group, EY, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

About the Carbon Call

The Carbon Call, a ClimateWorks Foundation-hosted initiative, mobilizes collective action, investment, and resources to strengthen a more reliable and interoperable carbon accounting system for the planet.

Media Contact

ClimateWorks Foundation: Jennifer Rigney, jennifer.rigney@climateworks.org

What the new signatories are saying:

AirTrunk

“We declare our commitment to Net Zero emissions by 2030 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, in line with the Paris Agreement objective, to limit global warming to 1.5°C. By taking immediate action to reduce our emissions, we are making an important commitment to our employees, investors, customers, partners, and communities for generations to come. As the pioneer of hyperscale data centres in the region, we are also pioneering a global standard for managing Net Zero emissions in hyperscale data centre environments. It is based on transparency, accountability and customer collaboration, and balances climate ambition with emissions ownership.” – Robin Khuda, Founder and CEO, AirTrunk

Carbon+Alt+Delete

“Carbon accounting is the new financial accounting. You need to manage your carbon footprint as a company to remain competitive in a low-carbon economy.” – Kenneth Van den Bergh, CEO, Carbon+Alt+Delete

Cedara
“Global pressure is building for businesses to adopt sustainability practices and we are starting to see some of the world’s largest brands begin to act. We are proud to support The Carbon Call as we firmly believe in the need for transparent, consistent and accountable emissions data to achieve net zero targets.” – David Shaw, CEO, Cedara

Evalue8 Sustainability

“Carbon accounting should be, and is becoming, as standard as financial accounting, because as the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure!” – Ilea Buffier, Founder, Evalue8 Sustainability

Pavimentos Colombia

“Pavimentos Colombia develops sustainable transport infrastructure projects across Colombia. With corporate social responsibility as a priority, we promote programs and initiatives that generate sustainable growth for the company and society as a whole, and are committed to measuring our carbon footprint, as well as taking actions to mitigate and/or compensate for it. We are proud to join the Carbon Call in its mission to strengthen reliable and interoperable carbon accounting for the planet.” – Board of Directors, Pavimentos Colombia

Scope3

“Our mission is to decarbonize the media and advertising ecosystem by setting a standard for comprehensive, open measurement of emissions across the full value chain. We believe that this fits perfectly into the Carbon Call mission: to make emissions across all value chains measurably and reportable.” – Brian O’Kelley, CEO, Scope3