How Digitally Native GHG Tracking Can Drive Faster Climate Action

RMI proposes a framework for 'climate intelligence' based on four pillars: emissions visibility, standardized accounting, digitized infrastructure using distributed ledger technology, and the scaling of these standards in markets. The document highlights the need to harmonize over 250 existing GHG accounting methodologies to create a 'digital schema' for carbon attribution. A key initiative mentioned is Horizon Zero, funded by a $10 million grant from the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation, which aims to apply digital disclosure models from the cryptocurrency industry to heavy industrial sectors like steel and cement. The author contends that digitization will make GHG and ESG disclosures as seamless as financial accounting, aligning with emerging regulatory trends in the EU and US.

• Climate action requires four pillars of 'climate intelligence': emissions visibility, accounting/attribution/analysis, digitized infrastructure, and standards and markets.
• There is a critical need to harmonize the more than 250 existing data standards and methodologies used for GHG emissions accounting to create universal metrics for carbon attribution across supply chains.
• Distributed ledger technology (blockchain) can be used to create 'digital twins' and 'digital wallets' for companies and products, allowing for the trusted tracking of carbon footprints and provenance through supply chains.
• The Horizon Zero project, supported by a $10 million grant from the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation, will pilot digital GHG tracking in hard-to-abate sectors, including 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).
• ESG and GHG disclosures are becoming financially material and are increasingly integrated into regulatory frameworks, such as the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and pending considerations by the US SEC and IFRS.

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} }