The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will hand over the technical hosting and maintenance of the Humanitarian Carbon Calculator to the Climate Action Accelerator as of December 2025.
In 2021 the ICRC received a funding from DG ECHO to lead the development of a free-to-use carbon accounting tool for the humanitarian sector. The ICRC, together with over 100 humanitarian organisations and experts, created the Humanitarian Carbon Calculator (HCC), together with accompanying guidance and training materials. Further, the IFRC hosted an informal online community of practice around carbon accounting.
Longer term continuity : The tool supports organisations in measuring their carbon emissions and – through access to key emission sources of an organisation – helps to prioritise decarbonisation strategies. Whilst the ICRC and IFRC were well placed to develop such a tool and make it available to the broader community, the maintenance, provision of technical support and future developments, are not falling within their mandate. They therefore identified the Climate Action Accelerator as the preferred host of the HCC.
The Accelerator has secured funding to host the HCC : The French Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has agreed to support the take-over of the HCC by the Climate Action Accelerator from late 2025 for the next 12 months. This paves the way for a broader reach of the HCC and related resources, an increased support of the HCC community, and development of new functionalities. This will ensure the humanitarian community continues to be supported in its journey towards decarbonisation.
The Accelerator would like to thank the IFRC and ICRC for their leadership over the last few years.
This collaborative tool marks just the beginning of an important journey the humanitarian sector must take together to reduce its environmental impact, a path that has already been widely welcomed by organizations across the sector.
While the tool is not perfect, it is grounded in the GHG Protocol and includes over 1,000 emission factors relevant to humanitarian operations. Continued support is needed to improve it further, helping organizations collect reliable data, and guiding the development of their decarbonisation strategies at the same time than continue improving the emissions factors database.
As the saying goes, what cannot be measured cannot be managed. Collecting quality data and building impactful and realistic plans to reduce emissions will have far greater impact if we work together as a sector.
CAA, with its experience and expertise, is in a strong position to keep supporting this journey.
The transition of the Humanitarian Carbon Calculator marks a natural evolution in how the humanitarian sector approaches its environmental responsibilities.
Building on years of collaboration and shared learning, the move to the Climate Action Accelerator represents a shift from experimentation to institutionalisation, ensuring that the tools, knowledge, and community needed for decarbonisation continue to grow.
This transition also symbolises the sector’s growing maturity in addressing its own environmental footprint. By consolidating expertise and creating a sustained platform for guidance, innovation, and data sharing, the Climate Action Accelerator is well positioned to help humanitarian organisations move from measurement to action. Together, we reaffirm our shared commitment to measurable climate action, operational sustainability, and collective accountability to people and the planet.