Empowering carbon accounting: from data to action

There is increasing demand for reliable and readily available information to manage the environmental impact of human behaviour. In particular, enabling rational decision making across the whole spectrum of climate policies requires measuring the carbon content of economic activities. The term refers to direct and indirect emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) created during the production of goods or services.

The measurement and disclosure of carbon content would benefit many stakeholders, including companies (to move towards more climate-friendly production processes), consumers (to better understand the environmental consequences of their purchases), investors (to redirect financial resources towards climate-friendly investments), banks (to better assess climate risk) and authorities (to take appropriate policies). It is a necessary condition for rational, environmentally-oriented decision making.