Week of April 27

CDP reporting and standards in flux

EVs have crossed a market tipping point in Europe and China, 60 countries launched Fossil Fuel Treaty negotiations without the U.S., and global deforestation hit a decade low. But for companies managing CDP reporting and sustainability disclosures, the more actionable signals are closer to home: the GHG Protocol named its first-ever CEO, EFRAG released its 2026 work program, and GRI updated its CDP mapping — all with open comment windows closing soon.

Table of Contents

MARKET SIGNAL

Have EVs crossed a global tipping point?

New research from the University of Exeter, published in Nature Communications, finds that EV adoption in Europe and China has passed a self-reinforcing tipping point — the shift away from combustion engines is now considered unstoppable in these markets. EVs hit 25% of global new car sales in 2025, and the global fleet has been doubling every 1.5 years since 2016. UBS projects EVs and plug-in hybrids will account for 58% of new car sales by 2035; RMI puts it at two-thirds by 2030.

The gap is geographic, not technological. Price parity is expected in Europe and China by 2025–28 and in the U.S. by 2026–30. In Europe, EV sales surged 51% since the Iran conflict began, as oil topped $120 per barrel. As costs fall further, even holdout markets will tip. The signal for companies tracking Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions: fleet electrification timelines are compressing faster than most decarbonization roadmaps anticipated.

POLICY WATCH

What came out of the first Fossil Fuel Treaty summit?

In Santa Marta, Colombia, delegates from nearly 60 countries wrapped up the first-ever global conference on phasing out fossil fuels — deliberately held outside the UN process, and without the U.S., Saudi Arabia, or Russia. Countries established a formal mandate to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty within one year, agreed on fossil-fuel-reducing trade measures, transparency rules for subsidies, and financial reforms for fossil-dependent economies. The next meeting will be held in Tuvalu.

The significance is structural, not symbolic. This bypasses the COP process, which critics say has failed to confront fossil fuels head-on for 30 years. Fossil fuel lobbyists were explicitly excluded — a first. Participating countries framed the energy transition as a security and sovereignty issue, not just an environmental one. Whether a treaty materializes within a year is an open question, but the political architecture being built here is distinct from anything that has come before it.

LAND USE TRENDS

Is global deforestation actually improving?

According to the World Resources Institute’s latest Global Forest Review, intentional tree cover loss in 2025 was the lowest in a decade. Tropical primary rainforest loss declined 36% from the prior year. Brazil cut non-fire primary forest loss by 41% to its lowest level on record under stronger enforcement by President Lula. Colombia posted its second-lowest year on record. Policy works.

The qualification matters, though. Wildfires consumed 26 million acres globally in 2025 — an area roughly the size of Cuba — and fire-related losses accounted for 42% of all tree cover loss. Canada’s 2025 fire season was its second-worst on record. Despite measurable progress, tropical primary forest loss remains 46% higher than a decade ago. For companies reporting land use in Scope 3 inventories or disclosing against nature-related frameworks, the distinction between policy-driven deforestation and fire-related loss is increasingly relevant to how numbers are interpreted.

SHAREHOLDER ACTION

What did BP shareholders decide at this year’s annual meeting?

BP entered its annual general meeting seeking to retire longstanding climate reporting resolutions, arguing they were redundant now that mandatory reporting requirements exist. Shareholders disagreed sharply — only 47% voted in favor, well short of the 75% threshold needed to pass. BP also excluded a Follow This proposal asking how the company plans to create value as oil demand declines, drawing a pointed response from the organization’s founder.

In the same week, ShareAction coordinated investor votes against reappointing key figures at NatWest and HSBC after both banks expanded oil and gas financing while scaling back climate commitments. The pattern across both situations is the same: companies testing whether they can quietly retire climate commitments are finding that institutional shareholders have longer memories than press cycles allow for. For sustainability teams building internal business cases, these outcomes reinforce the argument that voluntary commitment structures are being watched more closely than ever — not less.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Why did the EPA exempt Phoenix from federal ozone limits?

When Phoenix-Mesa failed to meet federal ozone standards, the Trump administration’s EPA issued an exemption, arguing that pollution from Asia and Mexico pushed the region over the 70 ppb federal limit — and that stricter local rules are therefore unwarranted. A local analysis found transboundary pollution contributed approximately 15 ppb of ozone, the margin that put Phoenix above the federal threshold.

Environmental groups have called the argument “preposterous”. Most of Phoenix’s ozone comes from local vehicle emissions and industrial sources, and the transboundary framing, critics argue, is designed to protect those sources from regulation rather than address air quality for the 4.6 million people who live there. Salt Lake City is now pursuing the same strategy. If the exemption holds, it creates a replicable template for cities to avoid tightening local rules — which has direct implications for any company modeling air quality or regulatory risk into its climate disclosure.

Also notable

Standards & reporting

Three developments this week have direct implications for companies managing sustainability reporting platforms and annual disclosure workflows.

  • The GHG Protocol named Tim Mohin as its inaugural CEO — the first dedicated leader in the organization’s 25-year history. With Scope 2, Scope 3, AMI, and product-level standard updates all in active development, the hire signals the organization is scaling to match the moment. The AMI comment period closes May 31 — if you haven’t engaged, the window is short.
  • EFRAG released its 2026 work program under new Chair Kerstin Lopatta, including an N-ESRS draft for non-EU companies due July 10, an interoperability push with ISSB, GRI, and GHG Protocol, and XBRL taxonomy updates. Companies using Greenplaces to build their CDP reporting and cross-disclosure infrastructure will want to track how the EFRAG-ISSB interoperability work affects their current frameworks.
  • GRI also updated its mapping to CDP’s 2026 questionnaire to reduce the double-reporting burden — a practical improvement for teams managing both frameworks simultaneously. If your program currently uses GRI as a baseline, review how the updated mapping affects your CSRD readiness baseline before the EFRAG work program moves further.

Corporate Climate Action

PwC’s third annual decarbonization report finds that 4 in 5 companies held or accelerated their emissions reduction targets in 2025, with 75% of G7 companies saying net zero is important for business. The language is shifting — from ambition to resilience and risk — but the commitment levels held.

Energy & Climate

  • Oil hit a wartime high above $120/barrel as the Strait of Hormuz standoff shows no end in sight. The longer it lasts, the more energy costs feed into broader inflation.
  • Chinese battery giant CATL plans an additional $5B stock offering as its share price has surged 40% since the Iran war. Meanwhile, Ember confirms every OECD country was below its emissions peak in 2025 — a first outside of COVID years.

Science & Environment

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PROGRAM

What to do next

If you’re managing a sustainability reporting program, this week’s developments have a concrete near-term action list.

  • 1

    Engage the GHG Protocol’s AMI comment period before May 31 — the update will shape how companies calculate and disclose market-based emissions, and submitting comment is one of the most direct ways to influence how the standard develops.

  • 2

    Review EFRAG’s N-ESRS draft when it publishes in July, particularly if any of your enterprise clients operate under CSRD scope.

  • 3

    Check how GRI’s updated CDP mapping aligns with your current cross-disclosure setup and whether your CDP reporting workflow needs adjustments ahead of the 2026 questionnaire cycle.

  • 4

    If you’re also monitoring Scope 2 guidance updates, those are moving in parallel — the GHG Protocol’s new leadership may accelerate timelines that felt distant a quarter ago.

Frequently asked questions

The GHG Protocol’s AMI (Avoided and Mitigated Impacts) update is part of a broader series of revisions to foundational standards governing how companies calculate and report emissions. It sits alongside active Scope 2, Scope 3, and product-level updates. The comment period for AMI closes May 31, 2026 — organizations that rely on market-based accounting should review the proposed changes and submit input before the window closes.

GRI updated its alignment with CDP’s 2026 questionnaire to reduce duplicative reporting for companies using both frameworks. If your program uses GRI as a foundational reporting layer, the mapping update may simplify how you prepare and submit CDP responses — but you’ll want to review the specific cross-walk to confirm it applies to your current framework configuration.

The N-ESRS (Non-EU European Sustainability Reporting Standard) is being developed by EFRAG for companies headquartered outside the EU that fall within CSRD’s scope — primarily large companies with significant EU revenue or operations. EFRAG expects to release a draft by July 10, 2026. U.S.-headquartered companies with EU-based subsidiaries or revenue exposure should track this closely.

The GHG Protocol has operated without a dedicated CEO for its entire 25-year history. Tim Mohin’s appointment signals the organization is scaling its operational capacity to manage multiple simultaneous standard updates — including Scope 2, Scope 3, AMI, and product-level revisions. Companies should expect more structured engagement processes, faster publication timelines, and potentially more rigorous alignment requirements across frameworks.

CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) is a global disclosure platform through which companies report emissions, water security, and deforestation data to investors, customers, and regulators. CDP reporting is increasingly tied to supply chain compliance — many enterprise buyers require Scope 3 suppliers to maintain a CDP score as part of vendor qualification. GRI’s 2026 CDP mapping update is designed to reduce the reporting burden for companies managing both frameworks.

The shareholder pressure on BP and UK banks signals that institutional investors are scrutinizing companies that soften or retire voluntary climate commitments. For companies preparing board-level sustainability communications, this week’s outcomes strengthen the case for maintaining — and clearly articulating — the methodology behind reported emissions targets, rather than relying on mandatory reporting minimums as cover for scaling back.

As EV adoption accelerates and price parity approaches in key markets, fleet electrification becomes an increasingly cost-competitive Scope 1 reduction lever, not just a compliance move. Companies with vehicle fleets — particularly those in professional services or field operations — should revisit their fleet decarbonization timelines against the latest adoption projections, especially if prior roadmaps assumed slower price convergence.

Corinne Hanson headshot

Corinne Hanson is VP of ESG Strategy at Greenplaces, the all-in-one sustainability platform helping businesses turn climate goals into results. She brings over a decade of experience in corporate sustainability, including leadership roles at SH Hotels & Resorts, Global Footprint Network, and the NRDC. A George Washington University grad with degrees in International Relations and Philosophy, Corinne spends her time outside the office the same way she spends it inside: trying to keep the planet in good shape.

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