Open comment period on proposed change to GHG Protocol standards

GHG accounting is not a static field and the GHG Protocol is constantly reviewing its publications to ensure they properly reflect the science on climate change and continue to define best practices for GHG accounting and management. One area the GHG Protocol monitors is the best available scientific evidence regarding the importance of individual GHGs, as evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and as reflected in the guidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for national GHG emissions reporting.

The UNFCCC guidelines require that specific GHGs be included in national inventories. To remain consistent with national inventory practices, the GHG Protocol requires that these same GHGs also be reported in corporate and product life cycle GHG emissions inventories. Originally, the UNFCCC’s requirements were limited to a set of six individual GHGs or classes of GHGs – CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, PFCs and HFCs. However, the UNFCCC now also requires the reporting of another GHG, nitrogen triflouride (NF3). Existing GHG Protocol Standards need to be updated to reflect this change and to accommodate any further changes that may occur to the UNFCCC’s list of required GHGs. In addition, unlike GHG Protocol’s Scope 3 and Product Life Cycle Standards, the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard does not specify which IPCC global warming potential (GWP) values should be used in inventories. It is important that guidance on GWPs is harmonized across all GHG Protocol’s Standards to ensure consistent reporting practices.

The GHG Protocol has prepared a draft of an Amendment that revises the Corporate, Scope 3 and Product Life Cycle Standards to require the reporting of all UNFCCC GHGs and the use of a more consistent set of GWPs. This Amendment affects all users of existing GHG Protocol standards. The draft Amendment can be viewed here (link) and the GHG Protocol is now conducting an open comment period on this draft. Any interested party should submit feedback on the draft to GHG Protocol at stacy.kotoroc@wri.org by July 29th, 2012.