Climate Disclosure Conference Comes to Pasadena Ahead of California’s First Greenhouse Gas Reporting Deadline

Months before California companies face their first mandatory greenhouse gas reporting deadline, a national climate conference is bringing compliance guidance to Pasadena.

The Climate Registry will host its Carbon Disclosure and Decarbonization Forum at the Westin Pasadena on March 19-20, 2026. The two-day conference offers expert panels, practical workshops, and cross-sector discussions aimed at sustainability professionals navigating an evolving regulatory landscape—including California’s SB 253, which requires companies with over $1 billion in annual revenue to report their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by August 10, 2026.

The Climate Registry, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2007, operates what it describes as North America’s most trusted voluntary greenhouse gas reporting program. The organization is governed by U.S. states and Canadian provinces and has published six sector-specific reporting protocols used by corporations, utilities, universities, and government agencies.

The forum is designed for sustainability professionals at all experience levels, according to the organization. Attendees will explore policies and regulations shaping carbon disclosure worldwide, learn how organizations are converting emissions data into cost-saving actions, and discuss strategies for transparency-driven decarbonization.

The Pasadena conference comes at a pivotal moment for corporate climate disclosure. California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, signed into law in 2023, created the first mandatory state-level greenhouse gas reporting requirements for large companies operating in California. A companion law, SB 261, requires climate-related financial risk disclosures, though that measure is currently subject to a temporary injunction from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The Climate Leadership Conference and Awards program launched in 2011 to continue the legacy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program. Since 2023, The Climate Registry has served as lead presenter of the conference. The 2024 conference was held in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Westin Pasadena is located at 191 North Los Robles Avenue in the city’s Civic Center district, within walking distance of Old Pasadena and a half-mile from the Pasadena Convention Center. The hotel offers more than 23,000 square feet of meeting space.

A form to express interest in attending the conference will open in February 2026. More information is available at climateleadershipconference.org. The Climate Registry can be reached at info@theclimateregistry.org or (866) 523-0764.

The August 2026 deadline applies to companies’ Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from owned sources) and Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from purchased electricity). Scope 3 reporting—covering emissions from a company’s value chain—is required beginning in 2027.