Why Measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
When the institutions obtain their Corporate Greenhouse Gas Inventories, they take the first step of their Climate Change Adaptation Plans. When it determines the current CO2e emissions at the corporate scale, it also reveals what needs to be done to reach green company norms in the future.
Businesses face significantly increasing pressures to reduce their contribution to climate change. Internationally operating businesses must comply with stricter green corporate preferences and legal regulations. Institutions are subject to further scrutiny on their carbon footprints. In order to be competitive, businesses will have to calculate their carbon footprint and develop green policies and strategies. Businesses can achieve the following benefits by calculating their carbon emissions:
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Understanding and managing corporate greenhouse gas resources and risks
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To comply with the regulations of the institution or government it serves
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Identifying greenhouse gas costs and savings opportunities
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Meeting customer demands on greenhouse gas emissions
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Understanding the impacts of their organizations on climate change and finding solutions to reduce them
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All these benefits are only possible with accurate and consistent measurement, calculation and management of greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory?
The Inventory of Greenhouse Gases is the determination of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or absorbed into the atmosphere in accordance with international norms at corporate scale or specific to a selected limited function area, with a technical report.
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory includes the sources of gases, their quantities and the time period in which these gases are released.
Greenhouse gases arise from all kinds of activities of the institution or enterprise and land change. Energy, transportation, waste, trade, production are the main greenhouse gas emission sources in the institution.
When organizations obtain their greenhouse gas emission inventories (or their carbon footprints), they can also make related reduction scenarios and action plans. While creating future climate change adaptation scenarios and forecasts, institutions must obtain their current greenhouse gas emission inventories.
"Adaptation Strategies for Institutions to Climate Change" starts with the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and this inventory should be calculated and reported in accordance with international norms.
Making a Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory for Climate Change Adaptation Scenarios and Action Plans for institutions is the first step of the studies. This document summarizes the standards, methodology and data sources required for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The document is intended to serve as a basis for the measurement, verification and public disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, this document is sent to the institutions that want to report in accordance with the relevant standards.
GHG tells them what to look out for during the reporting process. Commonly accepted standards and guidelines for calculating greenhouse gas emissions are:
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GHP Greenhouse Gas Protocol - Corporate Calculation and Reporting Standard
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ISO14064 - Greenhouse gases, Part 1: It specifies the basic requirements at the enterprise level for quantifying, reporting and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories