GHG Protocol
Greenhouse Gas Protocol
The most widely used set of standards for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, including the Scope 1, 2, and 3 framework.
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The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol provides the most widely used standards for how organizations measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions. It is a multi-stakeholder effort convened by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
The GHG Protocol introduced the now-standard scopes framework. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling. Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions across the value chain, both upstream and downstream, which are often the largest share of a company's footprint and the hardest to measure.
Because so many frameworks and regulations (including the ISSB standards, CDP, SBTi, and laws such as California SB 253) refer to the GHG Protocol for emissions accounting, it functions as the common measurement language underneath them.
GHG Protocol fluency is a foundational skill for carbon accounting, climate reporting, and decarbonization roles.
Who it applies to
Any organization measuring its greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol standards are referenced by many other frameworks and regulations as the basis for emissions accounting.
Key dates
- 2001
- Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard first published
- 2011
- Scope 3 (value chain) and Product standards published
Official source
https://ghgprotocol.org/Related roles
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