WRI, ICLEI, C40 Invite Cities to Pilot New GHG Inventory Protocol

5 March 2013: Cities around the world have been invited to pilot test the new “Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions (GPC),” which aims to establish a single, accepted, consistent and comprehensive global framework for preparing and reporting city greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. The Protocol is a joint-initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

The purpose of the Protocol is to develop and implement a global framework needed to build effective low-carbon strategies, track GHG reductions, respond to GHG regulations and local GHG programme requirements, and secure climate finance.

The Protocol's unified framework is designed to overcome the limitations that result from the lack of common standards in the methodologies currently in use in cities around the world. Such limitations include: inconsistent GHGs and emission sources; incomplete inventories resulting from the exclusion of non-carbon dioxide GHGs covered under the Kyoto Protocol; and double-counting GHGs and emission sources due to unclear categorizations and divisions of direct and indirect emissions.

The pilot phase of the Protocol, which runs from March through September 2013, targets cities that have conducted inventories using other methodologies, and cities that intend to undertake an inventory process in 2013. The application deadline for cities wishing to participate in the pilot phase of the Protocol is 15 March 2013.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) welcomed the launch of the pilot version of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions, designed to harmonize the emissions measurement and greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting process for cities, when it was launched in May 2012. [Climate Finance Options Press Release] [WRI Press Release] [Publication: Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions (GPC) Pilot Version] [IISD RS Story on the Pilot Verions of the Global Protocol for Community-scale GHG Emissions]