Climate Disclosure Standards Board
Encyclopedia
he Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) was formed at the 2007 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum
in response to increasing demands for standardised reporting guidelines on the inclusion of climate change
information in mainstream reports.
CDSB works to develop a globally accepted framework, based on existing standards, for corporate reporting on climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project
(CDP) acts as Secretariat to CDSB and is responsible for advancing the CDSB Climate Change Reporting Framework in association with members of the CDSB Board, Advisory Committee and Technical Working Group.
About CDSB
CDSB is a consortium of seven business and environmental organisations that works with leading professionals in accountancy
, business
, standard-setting and regulation to develop and advocate a generally-accepted global framework for use by corporations in disclosing climate change-related information in mainstream reports.
CDSB does not aim to create a new standard. Through its collaborative approach, CDSB aims to support, harmonise and strengthen existing climate change-related reporting initiatives and standards by bringing together and enhancing best practice
s in the form of a single consistent global framework that can be used for disclosure in mainstream reports.
CDSB’s work programme is managed by the Carbon Disclosure Project which acts as Secretariat to CDSB.
Objectives
In developing the global framework, CDSB’s objectives are to:
1. Elicit information of value to reporting organisations in devising and implementing their business strategies and to users of climate change-related disclosures made in mainstream reports.
2. Enhance the efficiency of capital allocation by investors, enabling them to integrate climate change-related costs, risks and opportunities into their analyses.
3. Provide corporations with greater certainty on disclosure requirements and encourage the consistency of approach that is necessary for effective benchmarking
.
4. Provide conceptual and practical input into deliberations by regulatory agencies contemplating the introduction or development of requirements on corporate climate change-related disclosures.
The CDSB Reporting Framework
CDSB is a practical, tangible response to widespread demands for globally applicable common protocols and standards on climate change-related reporting. That practical, tangible response takes the form of the development of a reporting framework for climate change-related disclosure to be used by companies in compiling their mainstream reports.
Mainstream reports
"Mainstream reports" are the annual reporting packages in which certain corporation
s are required to deliver their audited financial results under the corporate, compliance or securities laws of the territory or territories in which they operate.
The framework
The framework has been developed by CDSB’s Technical Working Group and the Secretariat and the framework is described in the links from this page. The Reporting Framework was officially launched for comment on 25 May 2009 at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Please click the link below for the full Framework:
http://www.cdsb-global.org/uploads/CDSB_Climate_Change_Reporting_Framework_2.pdf
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in response to increasing demands for standardised reporting guidelines on the inclusion of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
information in mainstream reports.
CDSB works to develop a globally accepted framework, based on existing standards, for corporate reporting on climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project
Carbon Disclosure Project
The Carbon Disclosure Project is an organisation based in the United Kingdom which works with shareholders and corporations to disclose the greenhouse gas emissions of major corporations....
(CDP) acts as Secretariat to CDSB and is responsible for advancing the CDSB Climate Change Reporting Framework in association with members of the CDSB Board, Advisory Committee and Technical Working Group.
About CDSB
CDSB is a consortium of seven business and environmental organisations that works with leading professionals in accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, standard-setting and regulation to develop and advocate a generally-accepted global framework for use by corporations in disclosing climate change-related information in mainstream reports.
CDSB does not aim to create a new standard. Through its collaborative approach, CDSB aims to support, harmonise and strengthen existing climate change-related reporting initiatives and standards by bringing together and enhancing best practice
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
s in the form of a single consistent global framework that can be used for disclosure in mainstream reports.
CDSB’s work programme is managed by the Carbon Disclosure Project which acts as Secretariat to CDSB.
Objectives
In developing the global framework, CDSB’s objectives are to:
1. Elicit information of value to reporting organisations in devising and implementing their business strategies and to users of climate change-related disclosures made in mainstream reports.
2. Enhance the efficiency of capital allocation by investors, enabling them to integrate climate change-related costs, risks and opportunities into their analyses.
3. Provide corporations with greater certainty on disclosure requirements and encourage the consistency of approach that is necessary for effective benchmarking
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost...
.
4. Provide conceptual and practical input into deliberations by regulatory agencies contemplating the introduction or development of requirements on corporate climate change-related disclosures.
The CDSB Reporting Framework
CDSB is a practical, tangible response to widespread demands for globally applicable common protocols and standards on climate change-related reporting. That practical, tangible response takes the form of the development of a reporting framework for climate change-related disclosure to be used by companies in compiling their mainstream reports.
Mainstream reports
"Mainstream reports" are the annual reporting packages in which certain corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s are required to deliver their audited financial results under the corporate, compliance or securities laws of the territory or territories in which they operate.
The framework
The framework has been developed by CDSB’s Technical Working Group and the Secretariat and the framework is described in the links from this page. The Reporting Framework was officially launched for comment on 25 May 2009 at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Please click the link below for the full Framework:
http://www.cdsb-global.org/uploads/CDSB_Climate_Change_Reporting_Framework_2.pdf