California Climate Action Registry

"The California Climate Action Registry (the Registry) was established by California statute as a non-profit voluntary registry for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The purpose of the Registry is to help companies and organizations with operations in the state to establish GHG emissions baselines against which any future GHG emission reduction requirements may be applied.

"The Registry encourages voluntary actions to increase energy efficiency and decrease GHG emissions. Using any year from 1990 forward as a base year, participants can record their GHG emissions inventory. The State of California, in turn, will offer its best efforts to ensure that participants receive appropriate consideration for early actions in the event of any future state, federal or international GHG regulatory scheme. Registry participants include businesses, non-profit organizations, municipalities, state agencies, and other entities.

"The Registry has developed a General Protocol and additional industry-specific protocols which give guidance on how to inventory GHG emissions for participation in the Registry: what to measure, how to measure, the back-up data required, and certification requirements. When organizations become participants, they agree to register their GHG emissions for all operations in California, and are encouraged to report nationwide. Both gross emissions and efficiency metrics will be recorded. The Registry requires the inclusion of all direct GHG emissions, along with indirect GHG emissions from electricity use.

"The Registry requires the reporting of only CO2 emissions for the first three years of participation, although participants are encouraged to report the remaining five GHGs covered in the Kyoto protocol (CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6). The reporting of all six gases is required after three years of Registry participation." [from website About Us]

California Climate Action Registry