Canonical Climate Model v1

Overview

The Canonical Climate Model v1 provides a complete, framework-agnostic reference for structuring, interpreting, and reusing climate-related sustainability disclosures.

It represents the first stable climate topic implementation of the Canonical ESG architecture.

This model is designed to support:

• corporate sustainability reporting,
• cross-framework disclosure reuse,
• auditability and traceability,
• software system implementation.

It does not define reporting obligations or assert regulatory authority.

What the Canonical Climate Model Includes

The Canonical Climate Model v1 consists of three distinct but connected layers:

1. Canonical ESG Reference Model (CERM)

CERM defines the canonical data structures used to represent climate-related information, such as greenhouse gas emissions, targets, boundaries, and methodologies.

It focuses on how data is modelled, independent of reporting standards.

2. Canonical Disclosure Intents (CDI)

CDIs define the semantic meaning of climate disclosures — what an organisation is communicating — without reference to specific frameworks.

Climate CDI v1 includes:

• 32 atomic climate disclosure intents,
• coverage across emissions, targets, governance, assurance, and transition planning,
• stable identifiers designed for long-term reuse.

3. Canonical Mapping Packs (CMP)

CMPs document how disclosure intents are interpreted by specific sustainability reporting frameworks.

The Climate CMP v0.3:

• maps 32 climate disclosure intents,
• references ESRS E1, GRI 305, and CDP Climate,
• is frozen as a non-authoritative reference implementation.

CMPs make interpretation decisions explicit and reviewable without asserting compliance.

For tool builders

The Canonical Climate Model v1 is designed for both human use and machine consumption.

All components — CERM, CDI, and CMP — are accompanied by stable identifiers, JSON Schemas, and a machine-readable registry.

These artefacts support:

• validation and automated testing,
• software system integration,
• versioning and change tracking,
• cross-platform interoperability.

Tool builders can rely on these structural guarantees while preserving the separation between data, meaning, and interpretation.

What This Model Enables

The Canonical Climate Model v1 enables organisations to:

• model climate data once and reuse it across frameworks,
• separate data, meaning, and interpretation cleanly,
• reduce duplicated interpretation effort,
• improve consistency and auditability of disclosures,
• support both human reporting and machine automation.

What This Model Does Not Do

The Canonical Climate Model v1 does not:

• define mandatory disclosures,
• determine materiality,
• assess performance or ambition,
• replace professional judgement,
• act as an official interpretation of any framework.

Users remain responsible for regulatory compliance and reporting decisions.

Status and Governance

Canonical Climate Model v1 is:

• publicly documented,
• versioned,
• licensed for reuse under CC BY 4.0,
• maintained by Canonical ESG.

Future updates will follow documented versioning and change control processes.

Relationship to Reporting Frameworks

This model is designed to coexist with existing sustainability reporting frameworks, including but not limited to:

• ESRS
• GRI
• CDP
• ISSB
• TCFD

Framework texts remain authoritative.

Intended Audience

This document is intended for:

• sustainability practitioners,
• auditors and assurance providers,
• consultants,
• software architects and platform builders,
• standards observers.

Summary

The Canonical Climate Model v1 demonstrates that climate disclosures can be modelled, interpreted, and reused systematically without centralising authority or redefining standards.

It provides a shared reference point for improving clarity, consistency, and interoperability in climate reporting.