How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action

This briefing by RMI outlines a framework for 'climate intelligence' to accelerate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, particularly in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. The strategy focuses on four pillars: emissions visibility, standardized accounting and attribution, digitized infrastructure using distributed ledger technology, and the scaling of these standards in markets.

• RMI proposes a four-pillar framework for climate intelligence to enable transparency and action: emissions visibility, accounting/attribution/analysis, digitized infrastructure, and standards and markets.
• To address the fragmentation of over 250 GHG accounting standards, RMI and partners launched the Coalition on Materials Emissions Transparency (COMET) to create a harmonized methodology and attribution protocol for material and energy supply chains.
• RMI advocates for the use of distributed ledger technology (blockchain) to create 'digital twins' and 'digital wallets' for companies and products, allowing for the trusted tracking of carbon footprints and provenance throughout supply chains.
• The 'Horizon Zero' project, funded by a $10 million grant from the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation, aims to apply digitally native GHG disclosure methods from the cryptocurrency industry to hard-to-abate sectors. Target sectors include steel (7 Gt CO2/year), cement (5.5 Gt/year), petrochemicals (4 Gt/year), oil and gas production (3 Gt/year), aviation (2 Gt/year), and nonferrous metals (1 Gt/year).
• GHG and ESG disclosures are becoming financially material and are increasingly integrated into formal accounting standards, such as the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

APA

RMI (2021). How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action. https://rmi.org/resources/how-digitally-native-ghg-tracking-can-drive-faster-climate-action/

Chicago

RMI. How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/how-digitally-native-ghg-tracking-can-drive-faster-climate-action/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action |date=23 July 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/how-digitally-native-ghg-tracking-can-drive-faster-climate-action/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021how, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/how-digitally-native-ghg-tracking-can-drive-faster-climate-action/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }