Carbon Accounting Fundamentals: Defensible GHG Inventories

OPENING

Most organisations now report carbon accounting numbers. Very few understand how those numbers are actually built.

Carbon accounting is not about perfect data. It’s about clear thinking, transparent assumptions, and defensible decisions.

This course provides a practical foundation in carbon accounting and greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, focused on how emissions are calculated and reported in real organisations — not just how they appear in sustainability reports.

WHAT THIS COURSE COVERS

In this course, you will learn:

• How carbon emissions are calculated using activity data and emission factors

• What CO₂e means — and why different gases are treated differently

• How Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions are defined and applied

• How organisational boundaries determine what is included in an inventory

• Where professional judgement is required when data is incomplete or uncertain

• How to build a simple, structured, and defensible GHG inventory end-to-end

Rather than memorising standards, you’ll learn how to think like a carbon accountant — including how to explain and defend your assumptions.

WHAT MAKES THIS COURSE DIFFERENT

This is not a standards walkthrough or a reporting checklist.

Instead, this course focuses on:

• Practical logic over theory

• Real-world data limitations

• How professionals decide what is “good enough”

• Why clarity and consistency matter more than false precision

The approach reflects how carbon accounting is actually applied in consulting, corporate sustainability, and assurance contexts.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

This course is designed for:

• Sustainability and ESG professionals

• Consultants and advisors

• Engineers, architects, and project managers

• Students and graduates entering sustainability roles

• Anyone who needs to understand how GHG inventories are built — not just reported

You do not need a technical background.

If you can follow logical steps and explain assumptions clearly, you will be able to apply what you learn.

WHAT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO BY THE END

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain how carbon accounting works in practice

• Build a basic organisational GHG inventory

• Classify emissions correctly by scope

• Identify key assumptions and limitations

• Communicate carbon data with confidence and credibility

WHAT THIS COURSE DOES NOT COVER

This course focuses on foundations.

It does not cover, in depth:

• Advanced Scope 3 category modelling

• Sector-specific methodologies

• Net-zero target setting

• Assurance standards in detail

These topics build on the principles taught here and are best approached once the fundamentals are clear.