Understanding the nature of the problem with current carbon auditing standards makes it easier to define the solution.
Understanding that SMEs generate 70% of our carbon emissions, while the auditing system is built for the 30% of upstream big businesses who can afford to pay for its services, makes the target obvious.
So how does See Through Carbon work?
Basic principles
See Through Carbon is designed to become, and remain, the: simplest strictest * most transparent
way to measure real-world carbon impact.
Open source v. proprietary
Instead of treating its standard as proprietary IP, the algorithm and database for See Through Carbon’s algorithm are open source.
- No ‘owner’ means no justification to charge to use it.
- No charge means no customers.
- No customers mean no way to influence See Through Carbon into delivering anything other than the most accurate reporting current technology, data and regulation permits.
Non-profit v. commercial
See Through Carbon is independent and non-profit. It’s overseen by neutral, experienced, carbon auditing and sustainability experts who volunteer their services as Trust members.
Transparent v. Opaque
The See Through Carbon app counts ALL carbon liabilities — including Scope 3. It’s optimised to use the best available data, practice and technology to shut down the loopholes that have rendered the current carbon auditing system unfit for purpose.
Any entity signing up to the See Through Carbon app chooses whether their data is publicly visible, or only available in anonymised form (Public Mode v Stealth Mode).
Making carbon reporting requirements demand the same level of rigour currently required by financial auditing is our shortest path to a sustainable future. A company’s carbon footprint is still regarded as ‘confidential’ or ‘private’ information. Why? At some point, all companies will be required to make their carbon footprint public. See Through Carbon puts adopters ahead of the game by providing, for free: Absolute number: the most accurate and detailed carbon footprint currently possible Relative score: based on the absolute number, See Through Carbon also generates a 0 – 100 score and Green/Amber/Red rating carefully calibrated for optimal incentivisation for SMEs to improve their score by measurably reducing carbon.
Accurate Reporting
Accurate measurement is the foundation of all carbon accounting, trading, regulation and standards. Current standards mean the numbers are, to put it charitably, unreliable, because so far it’s not been in companies’ interests to be accurate.
Carbon Auditing 1.0 (our current system) is designed to deliver the most flattering numbers, that bear little relation to reality.
True carbon accounting requires objective rigour on both sides of the ledger: counting all carbon Liabilities, including Scope 3 not counting nonsens carbon Assets, like carbon offsetting
Carbon offsetting schemes have had more than three decades to prove themselves, but have done nothing to slow down carbon emissions.
Offsetting is a red herring, possible worse, now comprehensively proven to be ‘unscalable, unjust and unfixable’.
Virtuous Cycle
See Through Carbon replaces our current compromised carbon auditing system with a transparent, virtuous cycle.
It’s tough, transparent standards confer genuine credibility, where currently we have chaos and confusion that makes it possible for the same unit of CO2 equivalent to be valued at US$99.98 in the UK, and US$5.01 in Colombia.
Adopt See Through Carbon and you prove you’re serious about carbon reduction. If you pay for a carbon auditing standard, when competitors use a free, transparent, greenwash-proof one, you’ll have to explain why, to your colleagues, employees, shareholders, investors… and children.
Carbon auditing is complex because the world is complex, but that hasn’t stopped us creating a rigorous control and reporting system for money, an abstract thing humans have invented.
See Through Carbon is a step towards applying the same standards to carbon, a fundamental element on which our species and live on our planet depends. We urgently need accurate, transparent, verifiable carbon auditing that: counts all the carbon, including the inconvenient bits. counts real world carbon sequestration only, making that accountable too. * uses a free, open source, transparent standard
See Through Carbon subtly tweaks the levers of capitalism, aligning revenue, reputation, and carbon reduction.
It speeds up carbon drawdown by helping the inactive become active.
See Through Carbon’s USP
With dozens of competiting standards out there, and venture capital pumping billions into new ones, seeking to become the ‘market leader’, what chance does See Through Carbon, a zero-budget projects, with no bank account, driven by volunteers, have of becoming the dominant, universal standard experts say we need?
Every commercial standard trumpets its own USP (Unique Selling Point). But only See Through Carbon has a UP. If you don’t have a bank account, there’s nothign to ‘sell’, and that’s what makes See Through Arbon unique.
After all, if you can’t buy integrity, why should you be able to sell it?
So with no budget, and only an international teams of committed experts driving it, how can See Through Carbon prove itself to a cynical market bombarded with well-funded competitors?
Next…The Pilot