Navigating Net Zero with Alexia Kelly

In this episode of the Navigating Net Zero: In Focus mini-series on Developments in Climate Standards & Guidance, host Alexia Kelly is joined by longtime climate policy expert Kim Carnahan. 
Kim shares the story behind launching the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), which led to the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) and informed the development of the new AIM Platform Standard and Guidance.
Together, Alexia and Kim explore:
Why Scope 3 accounting remains such a challenge
How buyer alliances and book-and-claim systems work
The launch of the new AIM Platform Standard
Why accounting rules are shaping the speed of climate action
The balance between environmental integrity and scaling investment
A thoughtful conversation about the future of corporate decarbonization and the market infrastructure needed to reach net zero.

What happens when the world’s most widely used carbon accounting rules evolve from a voluntary framework to being crucial regulatory infrastructure? In this episode, host Alexia Kelly sits down with Dominic Waughray, Executive Vice President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Executive Co-Chair of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Dominic maps out the massive institutional transformation currently underway at the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, as carbon data moves directly into the sightlines of CFOs, global regulators, and international standard-setters like the ISSB and ISO.

Highlights from the Discussion:
Born in Chaos: Dominic reminds us of the protocol's unique DNA, tracing back to the mid-1990s when Dow Chemical, General Motors, and BP sat down with WRI and WBCSD to design the Scope 1, 2, and 3 framework at a moment when nothing else existed.
The Structural Evolution of the GHG Protocol: A behind-the-scenes look at the professionalization of the protocol, including the creation of an Independent Standards Board, a new steering committee chaired by Geraldine Matchett, and the appointment of Tim Mohin as CEO.
The Global Regulatory Leap: How the voluntary framework is being hardcoded into mandatory laws, from California's climate legislation to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) alignment across 38 jurisdictions—including China’s 2027 alignment journey.
The ISO & Global Collaboration Milestone: Celebrating the major alignment launched at COP30 in Brazil, uniting greenhouse gas accounting with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) across 174 countries.

How do we pivot global corporate behavior from making broad climate commitments to deploying capital for deep decarbonization? In this episode of Navigating Net Zero’s In Focus mini-series on Climate Standards and Guidance, host Alexia Kelly sits down with Amy Brachio, the newly appointed CEO of Carbon Measures. Leveraging nearly three decades of institutional experience at EY—including serving as its Global Vice Chair for Sustainability—Brachio argues that the roadblock to global net zero isn't a lack of corporate ambition, but a lack of functional market structures that incentivize scaled finance for low-carbon commodities.

This deep-dive conversation explores the origin and theory behind Carbon Measures, a new greenhouse gas accounting initiative backed by some of the world's heaviest emitters. Brachio outlines their strategy to move past enterprise-wide risk disclosure toward product-level carbon intensity standards for globally traded commodities like steel, cement, and fuels. By standardizing accounting at the "cradle-to-gate" asset level, Carbon Measures aims to help lawmakers design trade-compliant curves that naturally retool the upstream market supply signal.

How do we move carbon accounting from an administrative paperwork exercise to the literal balance sheets of global commerce? Host Alexia Kelly sits down with Greenhouse Gas Protocol CEO Tim Mohin to dissect the technical and institutional evolution required to make greenhouse gas data ready for Wall Street.

Mohin highlights the critical role of third-party assurance, detailing the massive effort to mature and align global emissions tracking systems. They also discuss the transition of emissions accounting from voluntary corporate public relations to hard financial regulation. He explains how the landmark partnership between the GHG Protocol and the International Standards Organization (ISO) will harmonize standards worldwide, paving the way for legally binding climate disclosures across seventy jurisdictions representing the vast majority of global GDP.

Featured Episode Quote:
"The ultimate goal here is to incorporate climate into our financial system so that we can flow capital to sustainable business practices. That's what investors want, that's what all the capital markets want, because climate change is real and it's here." — Tim Mohin

Key Discussion Points:
The Push for Assurability: Why working with major audit firms at the front end of standard development ensures carbon data can withstand regulatory and legal scrutiny.
Dismantling the Silos: Shifting environmental reporting away from a segregated corporate side-show and fully integrating it into mainstream financial reporting.
Capital Allocation Dynamics: How reliable, comparable climate metrics empower institutional investors to fund sustainable portfolios on global markets.

In Focus: Developments in Climate Standards and Guidance
A special mini-series from Navigating Net Zero

Greenhouse gas accounting is changing rapidly. New standards are emerging, established frameworks are being revised, and organizations everywhere are trying to understand what these changes mean for climate action and investment.
In this special In Focus mini-series, host Alexia Kelly speaks with the leaders behind the world’s leading greenhouse gas accounting frameworks about the work they’re doing to shape the future of climate action. Together, they unpack the latest developments, explain how different standards fit together, and explore what's coming next.
Hear directly from leaders representing:
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP)
Carbon Measures
The AIM Platform
The Task Force for Corporate Action Transparency (TCAT)
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)
And more
Whether you're a sustainability professional, climate strategist, ESG leader, or simply trying to understand where greenhouse gas accounting is heading, this mini-series will help you better understand the standards that underpin credible climate action.
In Focus: Developments in Climate Standards and Guidance is a special mini-series from Navigating Net Zero—the podcast exploring what's working, what's not, and what's next in the global transition to net zero.
Episode 1 launches on July 21st 2026