New standards and upcoming guidance are expected to boost the credibility and consistency of climate reporting, ensuring farm emissions and removals are fully counted in the global carbon ledger.
Conrad Obiero, One Planet Agency
Farmers in Africa and countries across the world will, for the first time, begin measuring and reporting the carbon footprint of their activities under a new global climate accounting standard targeting emissions from land use and agriculture.
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has released its Land Sector and Removals (LSR) Standard, establishing the first comprehensive global framework for companies to account for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide (CO₂) removals linked to agricultural land use and emerging carbon removal technologies such as direct air capture and fossil carbon capture with geological storage.
Agriculture and land use contribute roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet until now, companies have lacked a credible and harmonised method to fully report emissions and CO₂ removals from land‑based activities.
The LSR Standard aims to close that gap by setting clear rules for measuring, reporting and verifying land‑sector impacts, while introducing safeguards to ensure high integrity where companies choose to include carbon removals in their inventories.
“One of the bigger ‘blind spots’ in corporate carbon accounting has been the land sector. This standard removes much of that uncertainty by providing a globally recognised benchmark for measuring agricultural impacts with the same rigour as energy use,” said Dominic Waughray, Executive Vice‑President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), in a statement.
The Standard will take effect on 1 January 2027, giving companies time to prepare. It was developed over five years through an extensive global consultation process involving more than 300 external reviewers, pilot testing by 96 companies and partners, and technical working group sessions with 138 international experts. More than 4,000 public comments were addressed in refining the final version.
The LSR Standard applies to companies of all sizes with significant land‑sector activities in their operations or value chains, including producers, buyers and sellers of agricultural products.
It is also the first GHG Protocol standard to introduce traceability requirements for Scope 3 emissions, enabling companies to work with suppliers to reduce emissions and scale up removals while preventing double counting and greenwashing.
Global climate models indicate that meeting net‑zero goals will require both deep emission reductions and credible CO₂ removal.
While reporting removals remains optional, the Standard mandates improved data quality, lifecycle accounting and transparency around long‑term carbon storage for any removals included.
Craig Hanson, Managing Director of Programmes at the World Resources Institute (WRI), described the move as a milestone for companies pursuing net‑zero targets.
“By providing this road‑tested, science‑based framework, GHG Protocol is equipping businesses — from global food producers and apparel retailers to innovative carbon removal start‑ups — with credible methods that enable companies to track their progress and prove their impact,” Hanson said, adding that the launch supports global efforts to harmonise greenhouse gas accounting ahead of COP30.
Companies undertaking activities with a high risk of displacing food or feed production beyond their value chains will be required to account for and separately report those emissions.
However, forest carbon accounting will not be included in the current version of the LSR Standard. The GHG Steering Committee said more time is needed to reconcile scientific and practical considerations.
A Request for Information will be issued to guide future updates, and companies disclosing forest carbon impacts in the meantime must clearly state their methodologies.
The LSR Standard forms part of the GHG Protocol’s voluntary framework. Additional requirements may be set by target‑setting and climate initiatives that build on it. Accompanying guidance will be released later this year to support implementation.
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