UK study calls for unified carbon accounting approach

Existing accounting standards - including the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol, ISO & BSI and Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) - each have their own methodologies and tools, which can lead to inconsistency. Led by Bath University, the study outlined how the multitude of different systems can also increase costs for many businesses, while also creating loopholes for bad actors. The work is published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

“We're in a climate emergency and having different methods for measuring greenhouse gases doesn't help,” said study author Marcelle McManus, Professor of Energy and Environmental Engineering at Bath University and director of Bath’s Sustainable Energy Systems Research Centre. 

“Industries want a level playing field and a system that helps them to decarbonise, but these systems make it really tricky to do so. We need consistency and transparency to make it easy for those who want to reduce their carbon impact to engage and make the innovative changes required. We also need consistency to make sure that those who want to hide, can't.”