Setting a National Standard for Measuring GHG Emissions

It's hard to believe that in the decades since the impact of greenhouse gas emissions were first recognized, no standard for measuring and calculating emissions has been developed. The introduction of the Community Protocol intends to change that.

1 minute read

October 14, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Last week, "the sustainability network ICLEI USA released the U.S. Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (thankfully shortened to the Community Protocol), the first-ever national standard detailing how to inventory community-associated greenhouse gas emissions," reports Emma Fried-Cassorla.

"Before," says Fried-Cassorla, "communities could reach out to ICLEI
for guidance on how to measure and calculate emissions, or could try to
extrapolate from corporate or federal reporting. This resulted in an ad
hoc cobbling together of best practices, which led to inconsistent and
incomparable data. Now, a quick download and some video tutorials will
allow a city or community to easily create a standardized greenhouse gas
inventory."

 

Thursday, October 11, 2012 in Next American City

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