UK needs new standard to measure carbon footprints

THE Aldersgate Group – a broad coalition of environment agencies, NGOs and industry representatives – has sent an open letter to Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; and John Hutton MP, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, arguing that the UK must go further in establishing common standards on carbon footprints.

The lobby group says that the lack of standardized carbon reporting and accounting system for companies is impeding the Government’s long-term goals of reducing emissions and creating a low carbon economy.

In a recent report by the Aldersgate Group – Carbon Costs: Corporate Carbon Accounting and Reporting – it found that very few FTSE 350 companies have credible carbon reporting mechanisms in place, making it extremely difficult for investors to make sensible comparisons between those that do.

A common protocol would demonstrate that businesses have used the appropriate process to assess risks, define boundaries, and measure and report emissions in a way that is meaningful, consistent and comparable. Such transparency would support the aims of the Climate Change Bill, and make emissions trading schemes and other policy initiatives to cut greenhouse gases easier to design and implement.

The initiative is supported by a range of organizations and companies across a variety of sectors, as well as the Mayor of London and 13 MPs representing the three major political parties.