Clean Air Task Force leads diverse stakeholders to urge for critical reforms to Scope 2 Guidance of Greenhouse Gas Protocol
WASHINGTON – Clean Air Task Force (CATF) today joined a diverse group of stakeholders, including NGOs, large buyers, investors, carbon-free electricity suppliers, data and analytics providers, electricity sector experts, and others calling for critical updates to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 guidance for corporate electricity purchases and improved opportunities to recognize actions that drive global decarbonization. Signed by 17 signatories, the letter recommends a framework that better reflects the urgency of climate change, incorporates modern accounting, adopts data and tools capable of better accuracy and transparency, and enables and recognizes the value of new and innovative solutions available to consumers that can pursue a wide range of electricity procurement strategies.
“As global greenhouse gas emissions grow at an accelerated pace, we must raise our ambition and significantly reduce these emissions in every sector to meet our climate goals. Corporate electricity buyers have made ambitious climate commitments, and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a critical tool for tracking their progress. But since 2015 when Scope 2 was last updated, emerging procurement solutions and tools and analysis offer new opportunities for increased carbon impact,” said Jeanette Pablo, Director of Climate Equity Initiative at CATF. “It is time for Scope 2 guidance to be modernized. We recommend building a framework that promotes accurate and impactful decision-making that gives us the best chance to address climate change. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is ‘the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards and an essential partner for driving climate success.’ It serves as the rulebook for the vast majority of global voluntary greenhouse gas reporting and recognition programs and mandatory reporting requirements in effect or expected in Europe and the U.S.; therefore, it is critical to get these updates right. We look forward to working with the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and other stakeholders.”
The recommendations include a framework to meet the following goals:
- Decarbonizing regional electricity grids to enable decarbonization of all economic sectors;
- Inclusion of more accurate inventory accounting, so that buyers can make more accurate and credible claims about their emissions associated with their electricity use and can encourage the development of the diverse mix of resources required to decarbonize electricity grids reliably and affordably; and
- Include new and separate reporting of the emissions impacts of a buyer’s electricity consumption and procurement actions that will prioritize emissions reductions to the atmosphere.
The signatories recognize that ongoing work will need to address a range of questions and details as to how each measure is best calculated, the timing for imposing new enhanced requirements, the burden of completing enhanced disclosures, and the consideration of the availability of necessary data. While resolving these issues will be difficult, building the Greenhouse Gas Protocol reform process around improved accounting and disclosures will ensure that the Protocol continues to be a critical agent for reaching climate ambition. Read the full recommendations here.
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
