Carbon Accounting

Course Introduction

Carbon Accounting is an online training course for corporations looking to learn how to implement accounting of their greenhouse gas emissions. The course begins by explaining what is climate change, climate governance and the relationships between business and climate change. The course goes on to examine the carbon accounting arena. Attendees will learn about the regulations and standards in the field of carbon accounting, how the GHG Protocol works in detail, the different methodologies of carbon accounting, and how to set carbon reduction targets and develop action plans to meet them.

Who should attend: finance officers, corporate reporting, ESG analysts, CSR managers, sustainability consultants, controllers

Schedule: The course takes place over the following days, comprising two hours teaching on each day from 1:00 to 3:00pm (UK time).

Wednesday, February 14th
Thursday, February 15th
Friday February 16th
Wednesday, February 21st
Thursday, February 22nd
Friday, February 23rd

Please note: all sessions are recorded so any that cannot be attended can be taken at a later time.

Course Details
Course Outline


Introduction to Climate Change

  • What is climate change? What are the sources of climate change?
  • Climate change as a planetary boundary, what does it mean? Its interaction with other environmental challenges (nature)
  • Global climate change governance
  • Global and EU mechanisms and strategies for tackling climate change (markets, taxes)
  • Assignment: what is my country’s strategy for climate change towards 2050? What are the main strategic axes?
  • Reflection question: what is the role of business in tackling climate change?

Climate Change & Business: Impacts, Risks and Opportunities

  • Impacts of climate change on business
  • Risks and opportunities, vulnerabilities
    The double materiality perspective: carbon accounting
  • Connectivity between non-financial and financial accounting (for climate change)
  • Assignment: what are the impacts, risks and opportunities of climate change for my sector, my organization?
  • Reflection question: how (and why should I) can I advocate for a double materiality in my own organization?

Carbon Accounting Arena

  • Actors in the field of carbon accounting.
  • ISSB, SEC, ESRS, GRI, TCFD and carbon accounting
  • Auditing carbon accounting
  • Assignment: read the report given and talk about compliance with standards. What do we learn about their carbon performance? What is missing?
  • Reflection question: can you audit carbon accounts like you audit financial data? Can you move from limited assurance to reasonable assurance? Why is it needed?

Introduction to Carbon Accounting

  • Different types of carbon accounting: what are we talking about?
  • GHG Corporate Standard principles
  • How to calculate carbon/emission factors. How to build a sound set of data for accounting.
  • Assignment: calculate your own carbon footprint. What did you learn?
  • Reflection question: should you do product carbon accounting? Should we move to a carbon management accounting system?

GHG Protocol Boundaries Setting

  • Organizational boundaries
  • Operational boundaries (notion of “scopes”)
  • Assignment: Understand the operational boundaries of your own organization and where the GHG emissions sit
  • Reflection: are scope 1 and 2 enough? Why and why not?

GHG Protocol Extended

  • Scope 3 accounting
  • Product accounting
  • Reflection: can we trust scope 3 emissions?

Management of Carbon Accounting

  • Danone case study
  • Reading, understanding and writing a company carbon accounting manual
  • Assignment: read a carbon accounting manual: What do you learn? what is missing?

Carbon Reduction

  • Action plans
  • Target setting: Neutrality, net zero, SBTI
  • Final reflection: should SBTI targets be made mandatory?