Trucost Blog

The UK Environment Department's report to Parliament on the contribution of reporting greenhouse gas emissions to the UK meeting its climate change objectives concludes: Evidence shows that measuring and reporting is an important part of GHG management. The report clarifies: "All of the research highlights the importance of reporting as part of the overall approach for companies to better manage their environmental outcomes."

It goes on: "Measuring emissions is an important first step, allowing an understanding of where emissions are and then identifying where/what to tackle. Reporting then follows as an important communication tool both internally and externally."

The report will help inform the Government's decision on whether to make carbon reporting mandatory for businesses. The Government will announce next steps in early 2011. Trucost and Aviva Investors were among organisations urging the Government to commit to introducing mandatory carbon reporting for large companies by 2012, in an open letter in the Financial Times co-ordinated by two Aldersgate Group members - the Co-operative and WWF - this week. Sometimes it's worth stating the obvious: 'What gets measured gets managed'.