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Carbon accounting or greenhouse gas accounting refers to processes used to measure how much carbon dioxide equivalents an organization emits. It is used by states, corporations, and individuals to create the carbon credit commodity traded on carbon markets. Examples of products based on forms of carbon accounting may be found in national inventories, corporate environmental reports, and carbon footprint calculators.
Carbon accounting is likened to sustainability measurement, as an instance of ecological modernisation discourses and policy. Carbon accounting is hoped to provide a factual ground for carbon-related decision-making. However, social scientific studies of accounting challenge this hope, noting practical issues in implementing abstract accounting schemes, due to the socially constructed character of carbon conversion factors.