The Emissions First principles reflect the perspective of practitioners – the companies themselves that are working to reduce their emissions with impactful clean energy projects today. A key goal of the Emissions First Principles is to align the GHG accounting systems companies use to report their emissions with the ways companies procure renewable energy and other decarbonization projects to maximize GHG reduction impacts. Part of achieving maximum impact includes ensuring that revised GHG accounting systems include pathways for all companies, small and large, to reduce emissions and measure this impact. The Emissions First principles are available for all stakeholders interested in GHG accounting and voluntary climate action, including stakeholders participating in the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance revision process.

The Emissions First principles can encourage companies to invest in the decarbonization of global electricity grids and deploy capital to areas that have not historically benefited from corporate investment in clean energy. An emission based approach also ensures that all technologies are measured in the same manner. This can lead to a technology-neutral approach that encourages innovation and investment in emerging clean energy products and services.

The Emission First approach provides a broad umbrella for companies looking to achieve their climate change goals focused on maximizing GHG reduction impacts. The principles provide a measurement approach that can work for a range of organizations, including smaller companies that are beginning to reduce their Scope 2 emissions, companies looking to maximize emissions reductions through their electricity decisions, and companies pursuing hourly goals that seek to match their company’s hourly electricity usage to certain carbon-free energy generation sources. By enabling clean energy procurement in grids with higher GHG intensity the Emissions First Principles will be especially important for companies that are operating in jurisdictions where there are substantial barriers to clean energy procurement.

Recognizing that GHG impact of electricity decisions vary with time and location, the Emissions First principles support impactful GHG reduction projects that are not always valued in current GHG accounting standards. Types of impactful projects enabled by the principles include siting new energy procurement in locations with electricity grids that have high GHG emissions rates, encouraging the dispatch of energy storage at times with high electric grid system GHG emissions, and scheduling company electric loads around system signals like high marginal GHG emissions. These are just some of the impactful decisions that can provide value to companies following Emissions First principles

Signatories of the Emissions First principles invite other companies and stakeholders to join this effort. The Emissions First principles represent a practitioner-led perspective on ways to maximize GHG emission reductions from the electricity system through corporate action. Articulating practitioner goals and needs is crucial as GHG accounting systems and rules are updated to ensure that the climate impacts all stakeholders want can actually be achieved. Companies need new guidance to make clean energy decisions now in order to meet corporate climate goals and address the urgency of climate change. Industry consensus and guidance on these topics is valuable to give more companies the clarity and options they need to meet their climate goals. We also encourage companies and other stakeholders to participate in the ongoing GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance revision process.