Greenhouse Gas ProtocolProf. Dr. Alexander Bassen in Leadership Role for Greenhouse Gas Accounting

11 January 2024, by Claudia Sewig

Photo: Claudia Gerhard

Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, professor of capital markets and management at Universität Hamburg’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the global standard measure for greenhouse gas emissions, has named Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen from Universität Hamburg as chair of the its new steering committee. This committee oversees the updating of norms in the GHG Protocol for companies.

The new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has been in effect since the beginning of this year. This means that in Europe, up to 50,000 corporations with over 250 employees are required to publish a sustainability report with their CO2 bilance, based on the GHG Protocol. Universität Hamburg already published their climate protection report in November 2023.

The GHG Protocol (“Greenhouse Gas Protocol”) develops the world’s most widespread standards for greenhouse gas emissions accounting. In the past few months, a new leadership structure has been introduced to continue improving transparency and efficiency and to do justice to the increasing demands of governmental authorities, other authorities producing formulating standards, and corporations. The Independent Standards Board (ISB) will work closely with the administration of the GHG Protocol, which is coordinated jointly with the World Resources Institution in Washington (USA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in Geneva (Switzerland).

Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, professor of capital markets and management at Universität Hamburg’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, has been charged with heading the new committee. The internationally renowned researcher and expert for sustainability reporting and sustainable finance is already a member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) and the board of European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG). “It is an honor to have been chosen for this task. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is the international leader in the field of greenhouse gas accounting. Throughout my entire professional career, I have advocated for putting companies in a position to take climate protection measures and I am grateful that I can be involved in the work of the GHG Protocol as it improves its basic standards and guidelines for corporate accounting,” said Bassen.