An authenticated and secure accounting system for international emissions trading

Expanding the international emissions trading system is crucial to filling the existing mitigation gap for the 2 degrees C climate target. Trustworthy emissions accounting is the cornerstone of such a system encompassing different jurisdictions. However, traditional emissions measuring, reporting, and verification, as well as data disclosure practices that support data authenticity in a regional emissions trading system, might not be compatible with data transparency requirements in a future international system that covers countries with gaps in governance and social trust. This transparency requirement can cause severe data security concerns. In this study, we propose a cryptographic framework for an authenticated and secure emissions accounting system that can resolve this dilemma. We demonstrate that integrating a sequence of cryptographic protocols can preserve data authenticity and security for a stylized multi-country emissions trading system. We call for more research to promote joint work by policy researchers and computer scientists to strengthen collaboration in future international climate governance.