Why standards are the quiet hero of implementation at COP30

Will COP30 in Belém end up being the "implementation COP" that Brazil so ardently seeks? Certainly, many points have previously been negotiated, and in theory at least, should be on the cusp of implementation.

But what is it that really pushes things from the page to the tangible actions? Political will and policy are strong factors, as are clear economic incentives. But other key ingredients I’d suggest are crucial are the relevant tools and frameworks that make implementation more straightforward and action likely to happen.

Internationally- or regionally-agreed standards are a good example of these types of tools. They touch every aspect of modern life – from ensuring everything from the quality of your phone to your child’s car seat and the structural integrity of the building you are reading this in, through to the environmental management systems that govern major companies and sectors.

This year, we’ve taken our work at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to a new level. Our organization has partnered with Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), a joint initiative from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Resources Institute (WRI), to create a new set of tools for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting and reporting.

The move signals the advent of a unified, globally recognized and universally trusted tool for measuring and reporting carbon emissions. Essentially, it provides the framework to support implementation in this vital area.

Measurement is the foundation of benchmarking progress and crunching the numbers on carbon emissions is one of the few solid processes available to help quantify, monitor and consequently address the emissions that are fuelling climate change.

The new set of tools, from which a product-level GHG accounting standard will emerge, will boost the ability of governments and companies worldwide to accurately measure and report their GHG emissions.

Although the climate has become something of a political punching bag, the reality is that companies are facing growing reporting requirements – including the notoriously difficult to assess Scope 3 emissions – as a result of burgeoning regulation and investor pressure.

What is also striking about this partnership is that it is a frontrunner in a wider process of consolidation that is emerging. As our collective understanding of climate change has developed, well-meaning but often-competing sets of tools, systems and guidelines have been created.

What we’re seeing now is the natural emergence of the strongest of these, as stakeholders call for greater harmonization and universality. It stands to reason that if we’re all trying to benchmark progress towards net zero, we all need the same measurement tool, not regional and sectoral variants.

This partnership heralds this by bringing together the ISO’s popular 1406X series, which governments and organizations use for carbon accounting and reporting, and the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, which underpins much of the world’s GHG accounting and regulation, to produce a single set of credible greenhouse gas accounting standards.

In doing so, it’s creating a much-needed common and universal language, thereby improving reporting, supporting strategic decision making, boosting efficiencies and saving costs.

The partnership comes at a time when hopes are pinned on COP30 for an acceleration in climate progress, specifically in the areas of financing and accountability. The partnership is ideally placed to support this. A strong, verifiable and fully accountable system for accurately measuring GHG emissions is vital to unlocking greater amounts of climate finance.

The need for complementarity and alignment across the climate landscape has never been clearer. As the call from the COP30 Presidency Brazil underscores, fragmentation risks slowing progress at a time when acceleration is essential.

At ISO, we see this echoed by our members and partners around the world – from governments to businesses and standards users – who are seeking coherence, clarity, and interoperability, not duplication or competition.

That’s why our strategic partnership with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol represents more than just technical collaboration. It reflects a commitment to break down silos and bring together the strongest existing frameworks to serve a global public good.

These efforts are grounded in ISO’s globally recognized consensus-based process: a process designed to deliver effective, accountable and trusted tools that respond to the needs of users and regulators alike.

What ISO and its partners are doing may not set pulses racing, but it will produce tangible, positive change. Our first working group under the partnership is already under way, and we stressed the importance of building trust into carbon accounting forward at a session during the system transformation thematic day of COP30.

It is only by accelerating climate action that we can better support the citizens, economies, governments and businesses of tomorrow. Transition is happening; it’s more a question of speed than direction. This underscores the importance of implementation, which is why we need the tools and frameworks that will facilitate action.

We remain committed to working openly with all actors who share this vision, ensuring that the global architecture for GHG accounting is both coherent and robust. In a crowded and evolving space, our goal is not to create another competing system, it is to offer a unifying, credible foundation that enables real, scalable climate action.