Carbon Call's Actionable Solutions

Since the start of 2023, over 70 experts have come together monthly under the umbrella of the Carbon Call to shape actionable solutions to make GHG measurement and reporting more interoperable. These solutions seek to:

• Move from the limiting constraints facing corporations today, such as “You don’t have exactly what I need” and “I don’t trust you,” to metadata requirements that do wonders to increase transparency and accurate interpretation.
• Shift the flawed narrative from “I can’t find you” to discoverable data that is digital, searchable, and accessible within corporations and supply chains and between organizations. 
• Leave behind the “I don’t understand you” complaint with a smart digital dictionary to ensure that terms are clearly understood and unambiguous. 

Making data discoverable

This group has been exploring: 

• Defining the parameters for making data discoverable and identifying key pain points for companies producing and using climate disclosures of all kinds. Identifying issues associated with upcoming national disclosure mandates around the world and ways this will change reports and report access.
• Exploring ongoing pilot projects to better understand parameters used to make data discoverable, identify challenges and successes, and develop best practices for GHG data discovery. Amongst other key metadata, discoverability of corporate information will require that newly generated or reported GHG-related data are associated with businesses using a unique corporate identifier, such as a legal entity identifier, corporate tax ID, or other unique attribution.
• Facilitating guidance for organizations that are generating GHG information (e.g., activity data, emission factor) and datasets to make that information discoverable for use within GHG accounting software and by GHG accounting practitioners.

→ Solution blueprint

Establishing metadata requirements 

This group has been exploring:

• Identifying the metadata that should be included in company GHG accounting and reporting, including the minimum set of metadata as well as broader data elements that would complete an initial metadata dataset.
• Determining the mechanism(s) by which metadata will travel with GHG information, including how technology can support the gathering, transfer, and interpretation of metadata.
• Recommending improvements (e.g., in user interface features and components) to facilitate understanding and use of metadata in GHG accounting and reporting. Even with such improvements, individuals or teams will need to interpret the data, fill gaps, identify opportunities to improve, and make investment or other decisions using the emissions calculation. Their ability to assess the metadata and data quality attributes must be prioritized.

→ Solution blueprint

Facilitating a digital smart dictionary 

This group has been exploring: 

• Facilitating an assessment of GHG reporting taxonomies by researching, cataloging, documenting, and comparing existing statutory reporting taxonomies, and regulations; interrogating them for completeness; seeking out commonalities; and identifying gaps.
• Assessing the feasibility of developing a digital smart dictionary from a technological, economic, legal, and operational, perspective.
• Consulting with key stakeholders in support of a pilot program for a digital smart dictionary – promoting consistency in preferred terms and defining interrelationships between existing and emerging GHG reporting taxonomies.

→ Solution blueprint