The Paris climate agreement last December resulted in commitments by 195 countries to reduce their carbon emissions. The countries around the world made specific pledges to reduce emissions in the form of “intended nationally determined contributions” or INDCs.
What this means is that every country participating in the Paris agreement has to be able to monitor, report and verify its carbon emissions. For many if not most countries, this is something they never had to do before. And it is not a simple task.
Monitoring emissions means knowing how much fossil fuel is being burned by power plants and cars, how much land is being used for forestry, crops, and wildlife, and a myriad of details pertaining to other industries and activities. The details are extensive and the devil is in the details.
The Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, based in Washington, DC., is a major player in helping countries around the world monitor their emissions. They offer online courses in greenhouse gas monitoring and are instrumental in creating a new breed of accountants – “green accountants”- that are needed for the task.
Green accountants are in essence the overseers of the planet’s rescue effort. As is the case for ordinary accountants, it is essential that their work is honest, accurate, and timely. The last thing we need in tackling the problems of global climate change is having countries cooking the books on emissions reduction.
Emissions reporting faces an enormous transformation. Previously, only rich countries reported at all and did so infrequently and often in little detail. Now all countries need to be reporting detailed data using the most up-to-the-minute technical analyses. Counting carbon is a key part of combating climate change.
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The Carbon Counters: Tracking Emissions in a Post-Paris World
Photo, posted November 29, 2015, courtesy of Alisdare Hickson via Flickr.
‘Carbon Counters’ from Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.