Isometric has certified the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Accounting Module. This module provides a universal framework for GHG emissions accounting that strengthens scientific rigor and transparency across all carbon removal pathways.
Certification follows a comprehensive 30-day public consultation that included feedback from buyers, suppliers, and leading academics with expertise in carbon accounting. Full details on the evolution of the module, and how Isometric addressed feedback from the public consultation, are available in the module changelog and public consultation summary.
Robust GHG accounting makes it possible to quantify and provide evidence for carbon removal activities. It is essential for understanding the full impact of a carbon removal project on the levels of carbon dioxide and other GHGs in the atmosphere. It involves tracking all emissions and removals associated with every phase of a project—from establishment, through operation, to end-of-life.
When producing credits, a project's emissions, removals, and counterfactual removals—the removals that would have taken place in the baseline scenario—must be presented together in net metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, as part of a GHG Statement. This ensures that every Isometric credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
Net removals = project removals – baseline removals – project emissions
Previously, GHG accounting requirements were embedded within individual Isometric protocols, and in energy, transportation, and embodied emissions accounting modules. The GHG Accounting Module consolidates these requirements into a single, consistent framework alongside the Energy Use Accounting Module—ensuring transparency and scientific rigor across all pathways.
The module also introduces several new requirements to enhance accuracy, transparency, and rigor. Each addition was developed through a robust empirical approach, using real-world data and with careful consideration of how it applies across different carbon removal pathways.
- A clear framework for what constitutes high-quality GHG emissions data. By following these requirements, suppliers can reduce uncertainty and improve transparency in GHG assessments.
- A threshold for determining the significance and materiality of GHG emissions from project activities—enabling suppliers to prioritize collecting data that increases the accuracy of their GHG accounting, rather than pursuing data with a negligible contribution to project emissions.
- Requirements for how GHG emissions should be allocated when carbon removal is a co-product of a process or when the removed carbon dioxide is stored within a product.
- For projects that amortize emissions over time—where GHG emissions produced during the development of a project are accounted for over a period of time—this module provides clear evidence and transparency requirements.
Isometric’s GHG Accounting Module represents a significant step toward a consistent and transparent system for assessing the climate impact of carbon removal projects. This module will continue to evolve as scientific understanding and data collection technologies advance.
All Isometric protocols will be updated to reference the certified GHG Accounting Module. A 12-month grace period will follow to allow suppliers to adjust their processes and reporting to ensure effective implementation.
This module was developed in line with the Isometric Standard through collaboration between Isometric’s in-house Science Team and reviewers from Isometric’s independent Science Network of over 300 scientific experts.
