Sustainability briefing: carbon-accounting merger, Nordic funding windows and pre-COP31
Carbon-accounting standards are converging globally, with the GHG Protocol and ISO set to merge their frameworks, while Nordic schemes offer small businesses practical routes to funding and measurement: Sweden's Klimatklivet charging tender, Denmark's Klimakompasset tool, and the OECD's SME finance conference. Meanwhile, climate diplomacy advances with Pre-COP31 talks in the Pacific ahead of November's Antalya summit.
GHG Protocol and ISO to merge their corporate carbon-accounting standards
On 29 July 2026 the GHG Protocol said it will combine its Scope 1, 2 and 3 and Actions and Market Instruments work with ISO 14064-1 into one corporate standard. Its FAQ gives Q2 2027 for a joint public consultation and Q4 2028 for publication. The Scope 2 consultation drew nearly 1,100 responses from 56 countries, and the organisation says it will revise the draft in response.
Sweden's Klimatklivet opens a tender round for public charging infrastructure on 19 October
Naturvårdsverket says Klimatklivet will take tenders for public charging infrastructure from 19 October to 6 November 2026. The category is public charging for passenger cars at 10–50 kW. The scheme is open to municipalities, regions, companies and organisations but not private individuals, and applications go through the county administrative boards' e-service portal.
Denmark's free Klimakompasset tool lets small firms calculate their carbon footprint
The Danish Energy Agency points small and medium-sized businesses to Klimakompasset, a free web-based tool from Erhvervsstyrelsen and Energistyrelsen. It estimates a company's footprint from consumption data and other economic activity. The agency's page also lists the GHG Protocol corporate standard and ISO 14064 as the main methods for organisational footprints.
OECD to hold its annual conference on financing SMEs for sustainability on 19 October
The OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability lists its 5th annual conference for 19 October 2026. An OECD survey of platform participants found that 73% of institutions provide green or sustainable finance to SMEs. Sustainability-linked instruments and transition finance were less common, offered by fewer than half of institutions.
Pre-COP31 opens in the Pacific this week, ahead of the Antalya summit in November
According to UN Climate Change, Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia are hosting the official Pre-COP ministerial meeting and Leaders' event from 5 to 8 October 2026. COP31 follows in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November. Türkiye hosts the conference, and Australia's Chris Bowen is President of Negotiations.