ISO has just published on the occasion of the COP 27 a document on net zero carbon emissions. This text is ambitious because it considers all direct and indirect emissions (including scope 3) and covers the full boundary that has been established for the organization.

It creates the conditions for a general approach, making it possible to foster change at all levels. It can be applied at different levels: at the territorial level: such as a country, a region, or a city; at the sectoral level; at the organizational level such as a company; at the level of a financial portfolio; to the life-cycle emissions of a physically defined unit, such as a building. This text of course opens the way to further study and specific applications.

In a climate negotiation on the emissions of countries limited to the geographical perimeter, the ISO proposes the ways of a universal commitment.

Compared to management system documents based on continuous improvement, this text adopts quantified objectives. It offers as benchmarks the science-based trajectories aligned with the 1.5°C target. These include, for example, generally reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% every 10 years.

As this is an International Workshop Agreement the text is freely available online.