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.”

According to the study, issues that need to be addressed include accounting across complex global supply chains, variations in product- and region-based accounting approaches, measuring and attributing credits as processes get more circular, non-interoperable data formats, and a lack of unified oversight. A new unified system will need to be accurate, verifiable and transparent, as well as capable of adapting over time to incorporate future needs and things like carbon storage.

“Our work identifies where these problems occur and highlights what is needed in a consistent framework approach,” said Prof McManus.

“Any carbon accounting method and activity should prioritise global emission reduction and the creation of a just transition, rather than compensation to any one company or country.”

The research team comprised members from Bath’s Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change, the Birmingham University's Birmingham Energy Institute, and Warwick University. The research was funded by the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC).