The head of a global climate accounting watchdog has tried to block stricter rules on Big Tech's green claims, triggering a battle over corporate influence on the body. Tim Mohin, a former BCG partner, became the inaugural chief executive of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol this year. Internal documents and interviews with colleagues show he has advocated for closer alignment of the standards-setting body with the positions of major companies, including Amazon and Meta.
An external review commissioned by one of the body's largest funders, the Ikea Foundation, flagged last month that heavy corporate representation on two of its governing committees threatened its "independence and credibility." The EU, California and the International Financial Reporting Standards rely on the Protocol's standards to govern how companies disclose their emissions, exposing it to lobbying from sectors including tech and oil and gas.
The most controversial debate concerns whether large power users can "offset" emissions from their use of fossil-fuel power. As energy demands from AI-powered data centres have surged, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google have maintained that their clean energy investments could effectively cancel out their contribution to global warming. The Protocol last year proposed tighter rules requiring companies to invest in energy produced at roughly the same time and in the same electricity market as the energy they consume. Google has expressed support for this position.
Staff members say Mohin, before becoming CEO, complained that scientists and technical experts inside the organisation were "biased" against companies. After taking the role, he asked staff to consider changes that would weaken the proposed standards, citing concerns from corporate members of the Protocol's Independent Standards Board. The Protocol said its process is transparent and that its scientific integrity and independence are fundamental. Mohin said the governance did not allow him to vote on new standards and that new leaders have an obligation to listen to all stakeholders.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing