Topic: emissions inventories

ADVISORY: New Study and Discussion on Reducing Methane Emissions from Natural Gas

Michael Oko — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:19:50 -0400

WRI to release new working paper, “Clearing the Air: Reducing Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Natural Gas Systems.”

Download the paper, here.
Read a blog post on the paper, here.

The rapid expansion of unconventional natural gas has reshaped the U.S. energy picture through increased production and reduced price. The shale gas boom has also ignited vigorous debates around its environmental impacts. WRI’s new study, “Clearing the Air: Reducing Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Natural Gas Systems,” looks to clarify what is known about methane leakage, what progress has been made to reduce emissions, and what further steps can be taken.

The discussion will feature representatives from Shell, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Environmental Defense Fund, and WRI, and will be moderated by Keith Johnson, an environmental reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

The event will take place at WRI’s office on Thursday, April 4, at 9:00 a.m.

A continental breakfast will be served.

WHAT
Release of new study & discussion on methane emissions from U.S. natural gas systems

WHO
James Bradbury, Senior Associate and lead author, WRI, presenter

Will Allison, Director, Air Pollution Control Division Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, panelist

Mark Brownstein, Associate Vice President & Chief Counsel, U.S. Energy and Climate Program, Environmental Defense Fund, panelist

Fiji George, Onshore Science, Policy & Regulatory Advisor, Shell Exploration & Production Company, panelist

Michael Obeiter, Senior Associate and co-author, World Resources Institute, panelist

Keith Johnson, Staff Reporter, Wall Street Journal, moderator

WHERE
World Resources Institute
10 G St NE, 8th Floor
Washington, DC
(Red Line Metro)

CALL-IN
Go to: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/821281274 Or
Dial +1 (213) 493-0602
Access Code: 821-281-274
Meeting ID: 821-281-274

WHEN
Thursday, April 4

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

RSVP required to press@wri.org (please indicate the event in your response)

WRI 2010 Organizational Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Sarah Parsons — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:24:20 -0400

WRI’s 2010 inventory revealed emissions of 4,309 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mt CO2e). This is 2.3 times the 2009 inventory of 1,326 mt CO2e. This increase is mainly attributed to the inclusion of scope 3 accounting, based on WRI’s recently published GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard. Previous inventories included emissions from select scope 3 categories (namely business travel and employee commuting), but the 2010 inventory has been expanded to include all relevant scope 3 catego¬ries including purchased goods and services, waste generated in operations, fuel- and other energy-related activities, and end-of-life treatment of sold products. Emissions from these four additional categories account for 67 percent of WRI’s 2010 inventory.

This report also introduces WRI’s new abso¬lute greenhouse gas reduction targets. As the 2010 inventory is WRI’s most comprehensive thus far, 2010 will be used as the base year for our new 2020 emissions reduction targets:

50 percent reduction in scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity;
20 percent reduction in scope 3 emissions from business travel; and
20 percent reduction in all other scope 3 cat¬egories (specifically, purchased goods and services, employee commuting, waste generated in operations, fuel- and other energy-related activities, and end-of-life treat¬ment of sold products).

Finally this report describes examples of WRI’s other sustainability initiative activi¬ties, including our first nitrogen footprint assessment. WRI’s 2009 GHG inventory is included as an appendix in this report, and previous inventory reports can be found in the “Downloads” section above.

STATEMENT: Project Launches to Measure and Manage GHG Emissions for Agriculture in Brazil

Michael Oko — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:35:54 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the British Embassy are launching a two year partnership to measure corporate and farm-level emissions in Brazil. Agricultural emissions account for nearly 20 percent of Brazil’s emissions, with agricultural production on the rise. The project, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, will develop GHG Accounting Guidance for Brazilian Agriculture, filling an important gap, since Brazil does not presently have a methodology for corporate and farm-level accounting, reporting, and monitoring. This project will support Brazil in meeting its targets set in the National Plan on Climate Change, including measuring agricultural emissions, both up and down the value chain, and from land use.

“It is an honor to announce the launch of a new project that marks the continuation of a fruitful partnership between the World Resources Institute, the UK government, and Brazil, which has been contributing to measuring, reporting and managing Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions,” said British Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton. “The UK Government is glad to have contributed to this initiative, which is part of an effort to establish a low-carbon economy worldwide.”

The announcement was made during an event at Rio+20 on the Green Economy: Driving Business Value and Competitiveness, hosted by WRI, which will bring together business experts, national policy makers, and global policy specialists to discuss strategic opportunities in the green economy, including tools for companies and policymakers to measure and manage their emissions impact.

Currently, more than 90 Brazilian companies voluntarily report their corporate emissions through the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, created by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), WRI, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Brazilian Corporate Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). During 2010 and 2011, WRI and FGV conducted a series of scoping workshops with participating Brazilian companies to better understand the need for agriculture-specific guidance.

“Brazil is one of the most important countries when it comes to sustainable development, with agriculture playing a major role in its economy as well as its emissions,” said Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI. “By measuring and controlling their emissions, Brazilian companies can help lower their environmental impact, while identifying new opportunities for economic growth and cost savings.”

The event will feature a keynote address by Carlos Klink, National Secretary on Climate Change and Environmental Quality, Ministry of the Environment, Brazil.

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in helping Brazil to meet its emissions goals,” said Secretary Klink. “Agriculture forms the backbone of our economy, and we will continue to work with Brazilian businesses to move toward healthy, robust and sustainable future.”

The objectives of the agricultural guidance project are to:

Establish nationally-recognized methodologies for the measurement and management of agricultural GHG emissions at the farm- and corporate-level;
Build capacity among Brazilian businesses and provide methodologies to develop emissions reduction strategies for agriculture; and
Integrate methodologies for agriculture into the GHG Protocol Brazil Program and emerging mandatory (e.g., Amapá, Pará, Pernambuco, and Mato Grosso) and voluntary (e.g., Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná) GHG emissions registries and reporting programs.

Over the next year, GHG Protocol experts will work closely with Brazilian businesses to adapt international guidance to address Brazil-specific emissions issues.

Companies interested in conducting a GHG inventory and developing and pilot testing the agricultural guidance are invited to contact GHG Protocol’s Stephen Russell: srussell@wri.org.

RELEASE: International Partners Release Pilot Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Lauren Zelin — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:18:27 -0400

C40, ICLEI, WRI and partners achieve a significant milestone towards establishing a single standard for measuring emissions for cities

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, together with international partners, are launching a pilot version of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (also called the “community protocol”). This landmark effort represents a significant step forward in harmonizing emissions measurement and reporting processes for cities of all sizes and geographies: the community protocol will be piloted in selected cities to establish a single minimum global standard for community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement. A transparent, consistent and common approach provides cities with a much-needed tool for effective climate action planning and financing.

Developed in close collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Joint Work Programme of the Cities Alliance between the World Bank Group, UN-HABITAT and UNEP, the community protocol was introduced at an official side event during the UNFCCC climate meetings in Bonn, Germany.

The community protocol marks a major milestone in the year-long partnership between C40 and ICLEI, working in close consultation with local governments. In March 2012, the partners released a draft edition for public comment. More than 30 expert organizations worldwide and cities including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Paris, Portland, and Taipei City provided comments, which were incorporated in the pilot version of the protocol launched today.

“Measurement and reporting underpins the local action driving C40 Cities leadership in addressing global climate change,” says Jay Carson, C40 Executive Director. “As such, the community protocol represents the interests, needs and challenges of C40 Cities.”

“The implementation of the protocol will strengthen efforts for measurable, reportable, verifiable local climate action. It will enhance access of local governments to global climate funds and help cities to raise the level of ambition of national governments to mitigate climate change.” says Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI. “The Protocol complements and advances more than two decades of global efforts on local climate action, in which ICLEI has been pioneering.”

Ongoing efforts: expanded partnership, scope

Moving forward, C40, ICLEI, and WRI will incorporate pilot test results and expand the community protocol into a more comprehensive GHG accounting standard for community-scale emissions, including consideration of a full range of direct and indirect GHG emissions from urban activities. This will enable local governments to account for how demand for goods and services as well as local innovative technologies can impact a GHG footprint.

“The release of the pilot community-level protocol moves us toward a much-needed and common approach to accounting for greenhouse gas emissions in cities, a major driver of global emissions,” says Manish Bapna, Interim President, World Resources Institute. “We look forward to deepening our collaboration, as we build on the feedback and draw on our collective expertise to develop a comprehensive protocol for cities and communities.”

Ongoing efforts to develop the community protocol will continue to bring cities and their leadership together with leading global actors working with cities on climate and sustainability issues, including the Joint Work Programme on Cities and Climate Change of the UNEP, UN-HABITAT and the World Bank Group supported by Cities Alliance.

In next steps, the global partners will pilot the community protocol in selected cities around the world, based on expressions of interest. Pilot results and further feedback from practitioners and experts will be reflected in the first edition of the full community protocol to be published later this year.

# # #

About C40:
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a global network of the world’s largest cities committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate‐related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. www.c40.org

About ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability:
ICLEI is a global association of local governments and municipal organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. More than 1200 local governments and their associations, representing over 500 million people in 70 countries, constitute ICLEI’s membership. ICLEI acts as the focal point of local governments and municipal authorities (LGMA) constituency to the UNFCCC. www.iclei.org

About World Resources Institute:
The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. The Institute’s GHG Protocol is a partnership between WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development that is working with businesses, governments, and environmental groups around the world to develop GHG accounting standards and tools to quantify and manage GHG emissions. www.wri.org and www.ghgprotocol.org

For more information on GHG Protocol City Accounting click here.

RELEASE: New Greenhouse Gas Standards Unveiled for Corporate Value Chain and Products in India

Lauren Zelin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:19:03 -0400

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol launched two new standards today in New Delhi, India, to empower businesses to better measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle Standards enable companies to save money, reduce risks, and gain competitive advantages. The launch event was hosted by WRI, WBCSD, and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and was followed by local training workshops on the new standards.

This is the first time WRI and WBCSD have officially released GHG Protocol standards in India, though a growing number of Indian companies are already doing corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting. According to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2011 India Report, 57 companies submitted reports and 89% reported their GHG emissions using the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard or a protocol based on it. Given India’s significant role in the global economy, product and value chain management are becoming increasingly important, so the new standards bring multiple strategic insights and opportunities for Indian businesses.

“The new GHG Protocol standards allow Indian companies to identify and target new market opportunities for low-carbon business models and products,” said Pankaj Bhatia, Director, GHG Protocol, WRI. “Businesses will find that these standards provide state-of-art methods and tools that can be deployed not only to measure and manage GHG emissions, but also to track important co-benefits in the India context. This, in turn, can help Indian businesses reduce energy use and manage resources more effectively across the full value chain.”

Released internationally in October 2011, the Corporate Value Chain and Product Life Cycle Standards were created in response to businesses that wanted to better understand and measure their climate impacts beyond their own operations. The standards were developed with input from business leaders, NGOs, academics, and policymakers around the world. More than 2,300 participants from 55 countries contributed to the process, and 60 companies road tested the new standards. Businesses that use the GHG Protocol standards will be able to create better products and improve efficiency throughout the value chain.

“The launch of the new GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain and Product Life Cycle standards in India marks an important step in the global uptake of these important tools,” said Thierry Berthoud, Managing Director, Energy & Climate, WBCSD. “Businesses around the world increasingly understand that by measuring, reducing, and reporting on their full corporate GHG impact, they can save money, reduce risk, and drive new business opportunities.”

The Corporate Value Chain Standard reveals opportunities for companies to make more sustainable decisions about their activities and the products they produce, buy and sell. Large and small companies can look strategically at greenhouse gas emissions across their value chain, showing them where to focus limited resources to have the biggest impacts.

The Product Life Cycle Standard enables companies to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of an individual product. Covering materials, manufacturing, use and disposal, the product standard will help companies improve and design new products, and provide insights for more informed consumer choices.

“TERI has been working with the GHG Protocol since the first Corporate Standard was released in 2001, and we have worked on a pilot basis with various corporate houses to advise them about GHG emissions,” said Girish Sethi, Director-Industrial Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Technology, TERI. “These standards can help companies understand, measure, and manage their GHG emissions and work towards reducing their carbon footprints.”

Prior to the launch in India, previous events have been held in New York, London, Tokyo, Beijing, and Durban, South Africa. Recognizing the significance of the new standards for emerging markets, the GHG Protocol is planning further launches and training events, including Brazil in the summer of 2012.

More information on the GHG Protocol standards is available at: www.ghgprotocol.org.

# # #

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol
A global collaboration led by WBCSD and WRI. It provides the foundation for sustainable climate strategies and more efficient, resilient and profitable organizations. GHG Protocol standards are the most widely used accounting tools to measure, manage and report on greenhouse gas emissions. www.ghgprotocol.org

The World Resources Institute
WRI is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build practical solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the Earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations for the future. www.wri.org

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
WBCSD is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Together with its members, the council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action. Leveraging its strong relationships with stakeholders as the leading advocate for business, the council helps drive debate and policy change in favor of sustainable development solutions.

The WBCSD provides a forum for its 200 member companies - who represent all business sectors, all continents and a combined revenue of more than $7 trillion - to share best practices on sustainable development issues and to develop innovative tools that change the status quo. The Council also benefits from a network of 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations, a majority of which are based in developing countries. www.wbcsd.org

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state—no sphere of human endeavor is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel, Dr. R K Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. www.teriin.org

TERI-BCSD
For the past several years, TERI has been addressing issues related to sustainable development with Indian industry, by setting up TERI-BCSD (Business Council for Sustainable Development). Having succeeded to garner the support of over 100 member companies recently, TERI-BCSD India has received the fillip to evolve into a unique industry body mobilising the corporate sector in implementing the principles of sustainable development. bcsd.teri.res.in

Greenhouse Gas Protocol

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:25:37 -0500

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol Initiative, a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is working with businesses, governments, and environmental groups around the world to build a new generation of credible and effective emissions accounting and reduction programs for tackling climate change.

NEW Video: The Benefits of the Scope 3 and Product Standards | 4:29

Executives from companies such as PepsiCo, BASF, and Tesco discuss the important role the standards play in revealing new opportunities for GHG reductions. Visit the Greenhouse Gas Protocol website for more information.

PRESS RELEASE: New Greenhouse Gas Standards Unveiled for Corporate Value Chain and Products in China

Lauren Zelin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:02:50 -0500

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) launched two new standards today in Beijing, China that will empower businesses to better measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle Standards will enable companies to save money, reduce risks, and gain competitive advantage.

It is the first time for WRI and WBCSD to officially release GHG Protocol standards in China. Eight Chinese companies were involved in road testing these new standards, and other Chinese organizations were engaged in the GHG Protocol’s international standards development process.

The eight road testing companies are Baosteel Group Corporation, Lenovo China, Quanta Computer, PricewaterhouseCoopers China, Swire Beverages, Lianye Garment-making (Dongguan) Co., Ltd, Shanghai Zidan Printing Co., Ltd, Kunshan Taiying Painting Co., Ltd.

Wah Fung Group is the first Chinese company to adopt the final Product Life Cycle Standard. As a leading fabric supplier, Wah Fung Group released a report showing that its Cold Pad Batch dyeing technology achieved 13 percent carbon savings and over 50 percent water savings compared with the conventional dyeing process.

“These standards are a breakthrough for business. For the first time, companies will be able to measure and manage the full scope of emissions in their value chain and products, so they can take advantage of new opportunities as they reduce greenhouse gases,” said Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI. “Backed by the credibility of the GHG Protocol, the new standards will help move businesses and reporting programs to one harmonized global reporting framework.”

The new standards were created in response to businesses that want to better understand and measure their climate impacts beyond their own operations. Companies that use the standards will be able to create better products and improve efficiency throughout the value chain.

“The new standards provide companies with a comprehensive view of the emissions produced when making a product and across the value chain. They will help companies make better business decisions and stimulate innovation of products and production methods,” said Björn Stigson, President, WBCSD. “In today’s world, it is necessary to understand and measure the costs for production, labor and transportation of products, which become visible and actionable through emissions.”

“The new Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain Standard provides a much needed harmonized global methodology for businesses to measure corporate value chain and product greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kelly Semrau, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability for S.C. Johnson. “Our road test of the new Scope 3 standard provides us with key data to drive our strategic business decisions regarding greenhouse gas reductions. We encourage other businesses to similarly employ this effective method to measure, and subsequently address, greenhouse gas emissions from the entire value chain.”

The Product Life Cycle Standard enables companies to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of an individual product. Covering materials, manufacturing, use and disposal, the product standard will help companies improve existing products and design new products, and provide insights for more informed consumer choices.

“The new GHG Protocol Product Standard gives us a globally consistent approach to measure and manage our product emissions that will help us innovate and improve our products over time,” said Kevin Anton, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Alcoa. “This knowledge may bring us savings in both carbon and cost, but it is also exciting to think what this might mean for the future of customer education and purchasing. In a world where knowledge is power, the GHG Protocol Product Standard gives us and our customers the information needed to make informed decisions.”

Alcoa performed a cradle-to-grave GHG inventory of their aluminum truck wheel, with an assumed recycling rate of 95 percent. Through recycling, Alcoa could achieve a 10 percent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Already, these new standards are gaining widespread traction:

The Consumer Goods Forum, representing over 400 consumer goods companies and retailers with a combined 3 trillion dollars in sales, has recommended the new standards be used by members who choose to measure and report scope 3 and product greenhouse gas emissions;
The Sustainability Consortium has adopted the Product Life Cycle Standard as the GHG methodology used in their tools to promote product sustainability; and
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative, a consortium of leading ICT companies and other experts, are utilizing the Product Standard as the basis for developing sector guidance for ICT products and services.

The Corporate Value Chain and Product Life Cycle Standards were developed with input from business leaders, NGOs, academics, and policymakers. More than 2,300 participants from 55 countries contributed to the process, and 60 companies road tested the new standards.

“The standards were developed through a global, multi-stakeholder process making them both credible and user-friendly,” said Pankaj Bhatia, Director, GHG Protocol, WRI. “Building on current best practice and extensive input from businesses, governments, and other partners, these standards will be beneficial to businesses and other stakeholders in developing strategies to reduce emissions around the globe.”

The new standards are available on the GHG Protocol website: www.ghgprotocol.org.

PRESS RELEASE: New Greenhouse Gas Standards Unveiled for Corporate Value Chain and Products

Lauren Zelin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:22:02 -0400

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol launched two new standards today that will empower businesses to better measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle Standards will enable companies to save money, reduce risks, and gain competitive advantages.

GHGP Resources

Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard

Product Life Cycle Standard

Fact Sheet (PDF, 104 Kb)
FAQ About the Standards (PDF, 127 Kb)
Quote Sheet (PDF, 93 Kb)
Watch the Video
Listen Live to the NYC Event
Follow the Event on Twitter (hashtag #ghgp)
Slide Presentation
Q&A with Janet Ranganathan & Pankaj Bhatia

Already, these new standards are gaining widespread traction:

The Consumer Goods Forum, representing over 400 consumer goods companies and retailers with a combined 3 trillion dollars in sales, has recommended the new standards be used by members who choose to measure and report scope 3 and product greenhouse gas emissions;
The Sustainability Consortium has adopted the Product Life Cycle Standard as the GHG methodology used in their tools to promote product sustainability; and
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative, a consortium of leading ICT companies and other experts, are utilizing the Product Standard as the basis for developing sector guidance for ICT products and services.

The new standards are available at: www.ghgprotocol.org.

# # #

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a global collaboration led by WBCSD and WRI. It provides the foundation for sustainable climate strategies and more efficient, resilient and profitable organizations. GHG Protocol standards are the most widely used accounting tools to measure, manage and report on greenhouse gas emissions. www.ghgprotocol.org

The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. WRI works with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. www.wri.org

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a CEO-led, global coalition of some 200 companies advocating for progress on sustainable development. Its mission is to be a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth in a world where resources are increasingly limited. The Council provides a platform for companies to share experiences and best practices on sustainable development issues and advocate for their implementation, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. www.wbcsd.org

Listen Live

Listen to the Launch Event as it happens. 9:00am-12:15pm, New York, NY

Dial in: 1-866-803-2143, passcode: GHGP
Agenda for Launch

Watch the Video

[Top]

Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard

Maggie Barron — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:58:31 -0400

The GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (referred to as the Product Standard) provides requirements and guidance for companies and other organizations to quantify and publicly report an inventory of GHG emissions and removals associated with a specific product. The primary goal of this standard is to provide a general framework for companies to make informed choices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the products (goods or services) they design, manufacture, sell, purchase, or use. In the context of this standard, public reporting refers to product GHG-related information reported publicly in accordance with the requirements specified in the standard.

Related Standards

New! Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard

Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard

As awareness about climate change increases and concerns grow, investors are demanding more transparency, and consumers are seeking greater clarity and environmental accountability. Companies are increasingly receiving requests from stakeholders to measure and disclose their corporate GHG inventories, and these requests often include a company’s products and supply chain emissions. Companies must be able to understand and manage their product-related GHG risks if they are to ensure long-term success in a competitive business environment and be prepared for any future product-related programs and policies.

This standard focuses on emissions and removals generated during a product’s life cycle and does not address avoided emissions or actions taken to mitigate released emissions. This standard is also not designed to be used for quantifying GHG reductions from offsets or claims of carbon neutrality.

Ultimately, this is more than a technical accounting standard. It is intended to be tailored to business realities and to serve multiple business objectives. Companies may find most value in implementing the standard using a phased approach, with a focus on improving the quality of the GHG inventory over time.

Watch the Video

Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard

Maggie Barron — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:57:38 -0400

The primary goal of this standard is to provide a standardized step-by-step approach to help companies understand their full value chain emissions impact in order to focus company efforts on the greatest GHG reduction opportunities, leading to more sustainable decisions about companies’ activities and the products they buy, sell, and produce. The standard was developed with the following objectives in mind:

Related Standards

New! Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard

Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard

To help companies prepare a true and fair scope 3 GHG inventory in a cost-effective manner, through the use of standardized approaches and principles
To help companies develop effective strategies for managing and reducing their scope 3 emissions through an understanding of value chain emissions and associated risks and opportunities
To support consistent and transparent public reporting of corporate value chain emissions according to a standardized set of reporting requirements Ultimately, this is more than a technical accounting standard. It is intended to be tailored to business realities and to serve multiple business objectives. Companies may find most value in implementing the standard using a phased approach, with a focus on improving the quality of the GHG inventory over time.

Watch the Video

CAIT’s Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data Now Available in Google Public Data Explorer

Kevin Lustig — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:03:01 -0400

Last year, in an effort to make our climate data more accessible, WRI launched a pilot that paired estimates of U.S. state greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) with the Google Public Data Explorer, a tool that visualizes large data sets with interactive charts and maps.

We have now gone global – following up this initial offering with a subset of international GHG data from CAIT, including time series of GHG emissions totals, per capita, and per GDP for nearly 200 countries. CAIT has compiled these data sets using the latest publicly-available data from leading global sources, including the International Energy Agency, U.S. government agencies, and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

As the IEA recently reported, energy-related CO2 emissions reached a record high in 2010, meaning that, collectively, we are failing to manage GHG emissions in a way that provides for a sustainable, climate-safe future. Combining CAIT’s information with the power of the Public Data Explorer enables users to navigate the data behind this story by clearly visualizing where emissions are on the rise, which countries are making strides toward their low-carbon goal, and much more.

Explore these examples of CAIT international data, or visit the Public Data Explorer for more:

Who are the world’s most carbon-intensive countries?

How have per capita greenhouse gas emissions changed over time?

Suggestions for what you would like to see, or have a question about CAIT International data? Let us know here or join the conversation at http://groups.google.com/group/climate-analysis-indicators-tool.

Measurement and Performance Tracking in Developing Countries

Samah Elsayed — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:31:09 -0400

Developing countries face the challenge of meeting development goals while at the same time reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to address climate change. For these efforts to succeed, effective systems are needed to manage greenhouse gases and related emissions reduction activities.

To that end, the World Resources Institute (WRI) is working through the Measurement and Performance Tracking (MAPT) project to build national capacities in developing countries to measure GHG emissions and track performance toward low-carbon development goals. Lessons learned are also being shared with international audiences in order to replicate successes and inform the design of relevant rules within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

WRI is partnering with a broad range of relevant stakeholders within the six MAPT countries, including government agencies, business, and civil society organizations. WRI’s engagement within each country is prioritized according to national capacity needs, which have been identified through scoping assessments conducted with in-country partners.

MAPT is a four-year project funded primarily by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and being carried out in partnership with key stakeholders in Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, South Africa, and Thailand.

For more information on the MAPT project contact the project manager, Kelly Levin at KLevin@wri.org.

To learn more about the MAPT project visit:
Tools and Outputs
Countries

You can also read more about the individual components that make up the work:
Institutions
National GHG Emissions Inventories
Mitigation Accounting
Civil Society Policy Implementation
Industry
Forestry and Land Use
International

Corporate Greenhouse Gas Inventories for the Agricultural Sector: Proposed Accounting and Reporting Steps

admin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:07:38 -0500

Corporate inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions provide a firm foundation for emissions management by business. But they rarely include agricultural emissions, often because of confusion about the best practices needed to address unique aspects of agricultural sources. This paper suggests accounting and reporting procedures based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. The objective is to stimulate and inform discussion amongst stakeholders towards a common understanding of best practices.

Summary

Agricultural activities cause greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a diverse range of sources. An equally diverse range of issues affects whether and how these emissions should be included in corporate GHG emissions inventories. This paper provides a preliminary assessment of these issues and how they can be addressed within the framework provided by the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Corporate Standard). The key findings are:

The Corporate Standard outlines generic accounting procedures that are directly applicable to many of the organizational and operational structures common in the agricultural sector, such as co-operatives, leasing arrangements, and commodity production contracts.
Accounting for the GHG emissions from equipment and machinery on farms is relatively straightforward. But the emissions from non-mechanical sources, such as soils and livestock, are more challenging. Specific challenges include the variability in GHG emission rates over time and space, the difficulty in disentangling the effects of current management practices on GHG emissions from those caused by natural factors, and the reversibility of carbon stocks and the long timescales over which carbon stocks change.
Consensus best practices for dealing with these challenges do not yet exist, but such best practices might include:

Separately reporting GHG data on mechanical and non-mechanical sources within inventories
Reporting carbon stock information using data on both stock size and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes
Allocating long-term changes in carbon stocks evenly across multiple reporting periods
Reporting the current impact of historical changes in land management practices on carbon stocks. Companies should adopt a time threshold to determine when historical management changes are relevant
Reporting all GHG emissions from land use change under an appropriate scope and not as a separate memo item.

This paper concentrates on core GHG accounting and reporting issues, but a range of other issues are also relevant to the creation of GHG inventories. For instance: What business goals do agricultural companies have for addressing climate change and how are GHG inventories useful in meeting these goals? How can companies acquire the activity data needed to calculate GHG emissions? And what gaps exist in emissions calculation methodologies and how should these gaps be handled within GHG inventories? The GHG Protocol intends to develop a consensus-based GHG accounting and reporting protocol for the sector. A crucial next step is to conduct broad stakeholder consultations on this paper and identify remaining questions.

About the GHG Protocol

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It works with businesses, governments, and environmental groups around the world to build a new generation of credible and effective standards for the accounting and reporting of GHG emissions at the corporate, project, and product levels.

First International GHG Protocol-based Programs Workshop Report: Key Challenges and Recommendations

Maggie Barron — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:46:22 -0500

Introduction

Corporate GHG inventory programs have played a significant role in encouraging and enabling businesses and other organizations to respond to climate change. By developing and disseminating standards and tools to formulate inventories that are consistent with international best practices, these programs have laid a foundation of technical and institutional capacity to measure and manage GHG emissions. In so doing, they have also promoted transparency and access to information by making GHG data publicly available in GHG registries and mobilized coalitions of private sector actors to engage constructively on the climate issue.

This progress notwithstanding, new developments are driving the need for GHG accounting programs to evolve more efficiently, more effectively, and at a greater scale. On the business side, there is a trend toward managing GHG emissions along the value chain. Companies are looking up and down the supply chain and throughout the product life-cycle for GHG management opportunities. Identifying these opportunities requires exponentially more extensive GHG data than is now readily available. Further, climate policy is becoming a reality not only in industrialized countries, but also in growing numbers of developing countries around the world. Most major emerging economies have adopted voluntary national GHG mitigation targets and are exploring portfolios of policies and measures to achieve them. International negotiations have emphasized the need for mitigation to be measurable, reportable, and verifiable, which has called new attention to the importance of GHG accounting. These trends point to the need for greatly enhanced GHG accounting capacity and tools at a global scale. Existing GHG inventory programs have a tremendous potential to inform a global strategy for building this capacity.

In March 2010, the World Resources Institute (WRI) convened a two-day meeting of approximately 50 experts from more than ten GHG inventory programs around the world to share lessons learned and discuss opportunities for collaboration. The event was organized around six major themes: accounting and quantification, reporting and public disclosure, quality assurance, training and capacity building, going beyond the inventory, and the relationship between voluntary programs and climate change policy. Participants generated several recommendations for advancing work in these areas (see Appendix 1).

While the discussion and suggestions covered a wide range of topics, taken together, they point to a need to develop future work in three areas: (1) dramatically increasing the scale of corporate GHG accounting capacity in terms of geography, sector, and scope; (2) moving companies and governments along the path from GHG measurement to GHG management; and (3) enhancing the coordination between programs on a range of issues as GHG accounting practice becomes more widespread and complex.

Remedying Discord in the Accord: Accounting Rules for Annex I Pledges in a Post-2012 Climate Agreement

Maggie Barron — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:45:47 -0500

Executive Summary

This paper addresses accounting rules relating to developed country, or Annex I, emissions reduction pledges for a post-2012 climate policy under discussion in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) negotiations track. These accounting rules are closely linked to the need to clarify the assumptions of Annex I emissions reduction pledges inscribed in the Copenhagen Accord. In addition, accounting rules for Annex I pledges are necessary for tracking aggregate performance toward meeting global temperature targets and for assessing and comparing emissions reductions. Options are provided for consideration by Parties to address the following issues:

Additional Information

Comparability of Annex I Emission Reduction Pledges
An analysis of Annex I pledges under the Copenhagen Accord.

coverage of greenhouse gases and sectors;
accounting rules for land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) emissions reductions and enhanced removals;
accounting rules for domestic and international offsets, including avoiding double counting; and
surplus emissions allowances remaining from the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

This paper explores the implications of the failure to develop harmonized accounting rules for the above elements, and provides options to mitigate the consequences of unharmonized rules.

Key Findings

The Conference of the Parties (COP) should include the following elements in a decision to enhance the integrity of a climate agreement for the post-2012 period: (1) a decision to develop consistent, complete, comparable, transparent, and accurate accounting rules; and (2) a decision to clarify the assumptions underlying Annex I pledges.

Our recommendations assume pledges would be recorded in a decision, in some form or another, recognizing that these pledges are inadequate to meet the objective of the UNFCCC. We neither prejudge the final legal form of an agreement, which could range from a set of decisions under the UNFCCC to a number of articles integrated into a future legally binding agreement, nor Annex I participation in legal outcomes under the Kyoto Protocol and/or AWG-LCA negotiations tracks.

The decision relating to comprehensive (i.e. including covered greenhouse gases and sectors; land use, land-use change and forestry; national and international offsets; and surplus allowances) accounting rules should ―request the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to develop measurement, reporting and verification guidelines, building on Part I of the Guidelines for the Preparation of Annex I National Communications,1 and as called for by the Copenhagen Accord, to ensure that accounting of Annex I Party targets is consistent, complete, comparable, transparent and accurate, for consideration by the COP at its next session.
The decision relating to clarification of the pledges should seek additional information from Annex I Parties by way of a supplemental form that addresses: coverage of greenhouse gases and sectors; land use, land-use change and forestry; national and international offsets, including double counting; and surplus allowances remaining from the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

Additional recommendations and options regarding harmonizing accounting rules are contained in the body of this paper.