Chapter 08 · Finance, data & evidenceData, Technology & Verification Systems
Accuracy
Definition
In greenhouse gas accounting, the principle that the quantification of emissions should be systematically neither over nor under actual emissions, as far as can be judged, and that uncertainties should be reduced as far as practicable — sufficient for users to make decisions with reasonable assurance (GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, Chapter 1). Accuracy is one of the Protocol's five accounting principles, alongside relevance, completeness, consistency and transparency.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
Accuracy is pursued through choices of methodology, emission factors and activity data quality, and is reported with uncertainty characterisation rather than as a claim of perfect measurement. IPCC good practice for national inventories likewise includes accuracy among its inventory quality principles, applying the same idea at national scale.
How it is used
Preparers of corporate inventories apply the principle when selecting calculation methods; verifiers and assurance providers test whether reported figures are free from material misstatement. Regulators and disclosure regimes that build on the GHG Protocol inherit the principle.
Why it matters
Carbon markets, targets and disclosure regimes all depend on numbers that are decision-useful. Systematic over- or under-statement — even where unintentional — undermines crediting, comparability and trust in reported progress.
Definitions and controversy
Accuracy is a qualitative principle, not a numerical threshold; what counts as "sufficient" accuracy depends on the intended use of the data.