International Carbon Accounting Regulatory Landscape

Within the existing planned work by Energy Systems Catapult, we are reviewing the current carbon accounting regulatory landscape in the UK and regulatory functions required to support a Net Zero economy. Without international considerations this approach will inevitably result in significant gaps in our knowledge. With a focus on heavy industry and manufacturing, this project aims build a comprehensive understanding of the international carbon accounting regulatory landscape, and how it relates to the UK. As part of this project, we require the following research questions to be addressed: 1. What coordination is happening at the international level with regards to exchanging interoperable emissions data through industry supply chains? What examples are there of international coordination (e.g. sector led, driven by large corporations, or cross-regional collaboration) in approaches to emissions disclosure? 2. What notable regulatory activities are taking place at the national level outside the UK? Of particular interest are G7 countries and countries with close trading relationships with the UK. Of these, which countries have set more prescriptive rules around emissions disclosures and claims; how are these enforced, and has there been any pushback? 3. What are the key considerations for UK exports and requirements on UK industry to disclose emissions? For example, the risk of additional administrative burden on UK industry if requirements vary (i.e. between an EU and UK CBAM). We are seeking the services of an organisation to deliver this aspect of the programme. We expect the project to be delivered as a desk-based study. Our assumption is that this would be based on case studies of several jurisdictions combined with expert interviews

Additional information: published