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Mitigation action/policy accounting: how to quantify and report GHG reductions from climate change mitigation actions (e.g., increased energy efficiency, increased renewable energy generation, reduced deforestation) and mitigation policies (e.g., performance standards, efficiency standards, emissions trading programs, taxes, incentives).
Mitigation goals accounting: how to track and report progress toward national,sub-national and sectoral GHG reduction goals (e.g., goals stated in terms of carbon neutrality, emissions intensity, deviations from business-as-usual, absolute reductions from a base year).
New guidelines are expected to be voluntarily adopted by governments (city, state, national), civil society organizations, financial institutions, businesses, and others to:
Inform mitigation strategies by understanding the expected GHG reductions from various mitigation actions and GHG mitigation goals
Track performance of mitigation actions and track progress toward GHG reduction goals
Report on GHG reductions from mitigation actions/policies and on progress toward GHG mitigation goals to meet public accountability goals domestically and internationally
Facilitate support for mitigation actions based on the quantification of GHG reductions
The process to develop the guidelines will be a global, inclusive, multi-stakeholder process in partnership with government agencies, international financial institutions, businesses, NGOs, and other experts from around the world to create a shared vision and design of guidelines.
In 2011 WRI worked with partners to conduct in-country scoping assessments in each of the six MAPT countries on the need for new mitigation accounting guidelines. This included a combination of surveys with key stakeholders including government officials, workshops, and desk-based research. The results of the country surveys, as compiled by in-country partners, can be accessed here.
In addition, WRI invited over 300 international experts and stakeholders to participate in an online questionnaire to assist WRI in establishing the need and content of new mitigation accounting guidelines. The questionnaire ran from February to September 2011. 109 experts responded to the survey. The results are available here.
| Background: Developed and developing countries are planning and implementing a variety of climate change policies and GHG reduction goals at the national and sub-national levels. As they do so, they are facing new pressures to account for GHG reductions achieved through mitigation actions and track progress toward GHG reduction goals. While national inventories allow governments to track GHG performance at a national level, guidelines are lacking on how to quantify the GHG effects of individual policies and actions compared to a baseline scenario. Guidelines are also lacking on how to track progress toward new types of GHG reduction goals, such as carbon neutrality goals and goals relative to emissions intensity and business-as-usual scenarios. New guidelines would assist governments in designing and evaluating GHG reduction strategies and reporting on their effectiveness to domestic and international audiences. In many cases, there is also a lack of capacity. Developing countries in particular are seeking tools to track the emissions reductions associated with actions in order to more effectively report on their progress and attract international financial support. For more information see http://www.ghgprotocol.org/mitigation-accounting. |
For further information on this component contact David Rich.
Assessing Non-Annex I Pledges: Building a Case for Clarification