Apple, Amazon join push for looser greenhouse emissions reporting

Source: Engadget

Background

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a widely used international environmental standard for measuring and reporting emissions, is considering changes to how certain types of emissions are reported. Advocates for the new guidance argue that the current rules make it too easy for businesses to overstate their commitments to environmentally friendly operations, such as being powered by renewable energy or making progress toward net‑zero emissions.

Company Response

Today, more than 60 major tech companies, including Apple and Amazon, signed a joint statement urging that the new reporting rules be optional rather than required. The letter, reported by Bloomberg, argues that the proposed policies would reduce investments in sustainability programs and increase electricity prices.

Emissions Scopes

Scope 1

Emissions from sources directly owned or controlled by a business.

Scope 2

Emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling, and how corporations measure them.

Scope 3

All other emissions produced within a business’s value chain.

Proposed Changes to Scope 2 Guidance

The new guidance would place tighter requirements on how companies use renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset their electricity emissions. Instead of purchasing clean‑energy certificates at any point during the year, companies would have to source clean energy that is both geographically close and simultaneously available to their grid‑derived power.

Potential Impact

If adopted, the changes could take effect as early as next year, potentially influencing corporate sustainability strategies and electricity pricing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-amazon-join-push-for-looser-greenhouse-emissions-reporting-182314690.html.