As the proud successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and recently named the world’s top environmental think tank, C2ES provides independent analysis and innovative solutions to the twin challenges of energy and climate change.

Prior Reporting

Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Disclosure: Key Elements of a Prospective U.S. Program

Reporting of Activity Prior to Enactment of this Reporting Program

Many companies have taken responsible actions to curb their GHG emissions and undertake GHG reduction projects over the last decade, due to concern about climate change impacts and in response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and various U.S. voluntary programs. These companies should receive credit for their early action. A GHG reporting program should make it possible for such entities to report (and receive baseline protection for) entity-wide emissions and offsets implemented after 1990 and before enactment of the program, so long as the information is certified by the reporting entity and is reported under the established reporting standards as explained above. Companies should select a base year for which their emissions are well documented and verifiable.

Procedures should also be developed by the administering agency for considering petitions from companies that can show that, even though they cannot meet the exact requirements of the newly developed protocol, they can provide substantially the same information in order to support use of an earlier base year.

NEXT: Minimized Reporting Burden

Download PDF