The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector

This report introduces the U.S. Public Sector Protocol, a tailored interpretation of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard designed to help government organizations in the United States quantify and report greenhouse gas emissions.

• The U.S. Public Sector Protocol is not a new or separate standard, but rather an interpretation of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004) specifically adapted for the public sector context to improve clarity and applicability.
• Public sector organizations face specific challenges in GHG accounting that differ from the private sector, including shared resources between organizations, leasing arrangements for land, vehicles, and buildings, and higher requirements for public accountability and freedom of information.
• The protocol was developed through a multi-stakeholder process involving over 60 experts and consultants, and was created in partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and LMI, with coordination from the EPA Climate Leaders and the Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program to support U.S. Federal government reporting under Executive Order 13514.
• The protocol is intended for use by any organization owned, controlled, or operated by the government, including utilities, school systems, quasi-governmental organizations, and public-private partnerships across federal, state, regional, and municipal/city levels in the United States.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-protocol-us-public-sector

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-protocol-us-public-sector.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector |url=https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-protocol-us-public-sector |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendgreenhouse, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-protocol-us-public-sector}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }