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

The document introduces the U.S. Public Sector Protocol, which adapts the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard for government entities. It addresses specific public sector challenges, such as shared resources and leasing arrangements, to help federal, state, regional, and municipal organizations create transparent and consistent GHG inventories.

• The U.S. Public Sector Protocol is not a new standard but an interpretation of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004) specifically for the public sector context, modifying wording, examples, and structure to improve clarity and applicability.
• Public sector organizations face unique GHG accounting challenges compared to the private sector, including shared resources between multiple organizations, leasing arrangements for land, vehicles, and buildings, and higher requirements for public accountability and freedom of information.
• The protocol is designed for all levels of U.S. government, including federal, state, regional, and municipal/city government, as well as school systems, quasi-governmental organizations, utilities, and public-private partnerships.
• Developed through a multi-stakeholder process involving over 60 experts and consultants, the protocol was created in partnership with LMI and coordinated with the EPA Climate Leaders and the Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program to support U.S. Federal government reporting requirements under Executive Order 13514.

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} }