The GHG Protocol introduces its long-awaited Land Sector and Removals Standard, offering a comprehensive framework for companies to quantify, report, and track land-related emissions and carbon removals, aiming to improve honest climate commitments amid rising regulatory and stakeholder scrutiny.
The GHG Protocol has published its long-awaited Land Sector and Removals Standard, establishing a corporate accounting framework for greenhouse‑gas emissions and carbon removals linked to agricultural land use and engineered CO2 removals such as direct air capture (DAC). The move addresses a longstanding gap in corporate carbon reporting by providing a unified methodology companies can adopt when land-related activities form part of their operations or supply chains.
According to the GHG Protocol, the Standard is the organisation’s first to set out methods for quantifying, reporting and tracking land emissions alongside technological CO2 removals, including CO2 capture with geologic storage. The framework was developed through a five‑year process that involved more than 300 external reviewers, received thousands of public comments and was tested in pilots by dozens of companies, the Protocol said. The Standard takes effect on 1 January 2027; an accompanying Guidance document with calculation examples and case studies is due in the second quarter of 2026.
For businesses working across agricultural value chains, the Standard introduces new obligations and tools. It is applicable to organisations of any size and at any point in the supply chain, and is intended to be used by producers, buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities as well as providers of carbon removal solutions. Notably, the Standard is the first from the GHG Protocol to include explicit traceability requirements for Scope 3 emissions, a step designed to limit double‑counting and reduce opportunities for misleading claims.
The Protocol also requires companies that create a high risk of agricultural leakage, that is, shifting production elsewhere in ways that generate emissions outside their value chain, to account for and report those displaced impacts separately. The Standard permits the inclusion of both natural and engineered removals in corporate inventories only when robust safeguards and accounting criteria are met, the Protocol said.
Forest carbon accounting is not included in this initial version. The GHG Protocol’s technical team described forest accounting as a particularly complex area and said it will continue consultations to develop those features for a future update. In the meantime, the Protocol advised companies disclosing forest carbon impacts to be transparent about the methodologies they select.
Industry voices welcomed the new benchmark while urging careful implementation. “One of the bigger ‘blind spots’ in corporate carbon accounting has been the land sector,” Dominic Waughray, executive vice president at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, said, arguing the Standard offers a globally recognised benchmark for measuring agricultural impacts with comparable rigour to energy accounting. Craig Hanson, managing director of programmes at the World Resources Institute, called the Standard “an important step forward for companies serious about their net‑zero journey,” saying it supplies science‑based methods that should bolster confidence in corporate investments in sustainable land management.
South Pole’s associate director for implementation, Christopher Schwarz, described the Standard as more than a technical rulebook, suggesting it could “catalyse transformation” by improving supply‑chain traceability and directing corporate capital to high‑integrity land‑sector projects.
The release comes as businesses confront the reality that agriculture and land‑use change represent a substantial share of global greenhouse‑gas emissions, estimated at roughly a quarter of the total, and as corporates face increasing scrutiny over Scope 3 disclosures and net‑zero claims. The GHG Protocol’s framework is widely used in corporate reporting: the Protocol notes that an overwhelming majority of S&P 500 firms reporting to CDP follow its guidance.
Practical implications for industrial decarbonisation professionals include the need to review supplier data flows and traceability mechanisms well ahead of the Standard’s effective date, to assess exposure to agricultural leakage risks, and to establish robust diligence for any technological removal credits or projects that firms intend to claim within their Scope 1 or Scope 3 inventories. The Protocol has indicated it will publish further adoption guidance later this year to help companies transition.
By clarifying accounting rules for a previously opaque sector, the new Standard aims to strengthen the credibility of corporate climate claims tied to land and removals. Nonetheless, its omission of forest carbon accounting in version 1.0 means firms working with forest‑based projects will need to disclose the methodologies they are using until the Protocol issues an updated standard covering those activities.
- https://www.edie.net/ghg-protocol-unveils-long-awaited-guidance-on-emissions-accounting-from-land/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-standard – The Land Sector and Removals Standard, developed over five years, provides companies with accounting requirements and guidance on reporting emissions removals using man-made technologies such as direct air capture (DAC). It is the first GHG Protocol Standard to offer methods for quantifying, reporting, and tracking land emissions and CO₂ removals, including technological CO₂ removals like direct air capture. The Standard takes effect on January 1, 2027, and is designed for companies of any size and at any point in the value chain, including producers, buyers, and sellers of agricultural products, as well as solutions providers in carbon removals. An accompanying Guidance document will be published in the second quarter of 2026, providing further details on implementation, including calculation guidance, examples, and case studies.
- https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-guidance – The Land Sector and Removals Standard is the first GHG Protocol Standard to provide greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting requirements and guidance that equip companies with the methods needed to quantify, report, and track land emissions and CO₂ removals. This Standard offers companies accounting requirements and guidance to report technological CO₂ removals, such as direct air capture, and CO₂ capture with geologic storage. Taking effect on January 1, 2027, the Standard was developed through a rigorous, transparent, and inclusive five-year effort involving more than 300 external reviewers. An accompanying Guidance document will be published in the second quarter of 2026, providing further details on implementation, including calculation guidance, examples, and case studies.
- https://ghgprotocol.org/blog/save-date-land-sector-and-removals-standard – GHG Protocol announced the publication of its first Land Sector and Removals (LSR) Standard on January 30, 2026. The Standard was developed over the last five years through a rigorous, transparent, and inclusive process, including final decisions through the GHG Protocol’s Independent Standards Board. A wide range of experts around the world—representing leaders from companies, governments, academia, and civil society—provided valuable feedback shaping the standard through extensive consultation and pilot testing. Following the launch, GHG Protocol will host a webinar explaining what the Standard covers, how it applies to companies, and how it aligns with broader emissions disclosure and target-setting frameworks.
- https://ghgprotocol.org/blog/land-sector-and-removals-workstream-update – GHG Protocol’s Land Sector and Removals team is nearing the completion of the standard development process and is excited to announce that the Land Sector and Removals Standard and accompanying Guidance will be finalized in 2024 and publicly released in Quarter 1 2025. The Standard and Guidance released in Quarter 1 2025 will be released as version 1.0 and will not include references to forest carbon accounting, which is still being discussed as described below. Version 1.1, which will include the forest carbon accounting resolution, is anticipated to be released later in 2025.
- https://ghgprotocol.org/blog/release-ghg-protocol-launches-its-first-ever-global-standard-corporate-accounting-land-sector – GHG Protocol released the Land Sector and Removals (LSR) Standard, establishing its first global standard for companies to account for greenhouse gas emissions and CO₂ removals from agricultural land use and emerging CO₂ removal technologies (e.g., direct air capture or fossil carbon capture with geologic storage). The Standard provides a globally recognized benchmark for measuring agricultural impacts and allows companies to account for both natural and technological removals in their Scope 1 and Scope 3 inventories, provided they meet robust safeguards. The Standard was developed through a rigorous, inclusive process that involved more than 300 external reviewers, more than 4,000 public comments, and pilot testing by 96 companies and supporting partners.
- https://ghgprotocol.org/blog/land-sector-and-removals-standard-what-you-need-know – The Land Sector and Removals Standard (LSR Standard) is the first GHG Protocol Standard to provide greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting requirements and guidance that equip companies with the methods needed to quantify, report, and track land emissions and CO₂ removals. This Standard offers companies accounting requirements and guidance to report technological CO₂ removals, such as direct air capture, and CO₂ capture with geologic storage. While emissions from agriculture and land use change account for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, companies have historically lacked a consistent and credible way to account for these impacts. The LSR Standard addresses this gap by enabling companies to account for most land-sector emissions and, where they choose to do so, include CO₂ removals that meet robust integrity safeguards. Taking effect on January 1, 2027, the new Standard aims to support companies that own or control land, purchase or sell products produced on agricultural lands, or have other relevant land-based activities in their value chain, to account and report their GHG emissions and removals.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article reports on the GHG Protocol’s Land Sector and Removals Standard, which was officially released on 30 January 2026. ([ghgprotocol.org](https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-standard?utm_source=openai)) The content appears to be original and not recycled from other sources. However, the announcement has been covered by multiple outlets, including Corporate Disclosures and ESG Today, indicating a broader dissemination of the news. ([corporatedisclosures.org](https://www.corporatedisclosures.org/content/news/ghg-protocol-releases-land-sector-and-removals-standard.html?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from Dominic Waughray, executive vice president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. ([corporatedisclosures.org](https://www.corporatedisclosures.org/content/news/ghg-protocol-releases-land-sector-and-removals-standard.html?utm_source=openai)) While these quotes are attributed, they are also present in other sources, suggesting potential reuse. The exact wording of the quotes varies slightly between sources, which may indicate paraphrasing or selective quoting.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The article originates from edie.net, a publication focusing on environmental and sustainability news. While edie.net is a known source, it is not as widely recognised as major news organisations like the BBC or Reuters. The article references information from the GHG Protocol’s official website, which is a reputable source. However, the reliance on a single source for the majority of the content raises concerns about source independence.
Plausibility check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims made in the article align with the GHG Protocol’s official announcement of the Land Sector and Removals Standard, which is set to take effect on 1 January 2027. ([ghgprotocol.org](https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-standard?utm_source=openai)) The article provides specific details about the standard’s development process, including the involvement of over 300 external reviewers and pilot testing by dozens of companies. These details are consistent with information available from other reputable sources, such as the GHG Protocol’s official website. ([ghgprotocol.org](https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-standard?utm_source=openai))
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article provides information about the GHG Protocol’s Land Sector and Removals Standard, with details consistent with the official announcement. However, the reliance on a single source and the presence of similar content across multiple outlets raise concerns about source independence and potential reuse of content. The quotes included are also present in other sources, suggesting potential reuse. While the content is plausible and the article is freely accessible, the lack of additional independent verification sources and the reliance on a single source for the majority of the content warrant a medium confidence level in the overall assessment.
