Quantifying GHG Reductions

Definition

Quantifying GHG Reductions is a procedure for compiling and reporting an aggregate GHG reduction from a GHG Project. The following decomposition is according to

• The standard reporting unit is in tonnes of CO2 Equivalent, denoted as (t CO₂eq)
• The total GHG reduction for the i-the project is the sum of annual GHG Project Activity reductions PA_{t, z} for the time horizon T of the project
• The time period unit is a year (t)
• The project activity index is (z)
• The primary effect index of some activity is (p)
• The secondary effect index of some activity is (s)

$\mbox{GHG Reduction}_i = \sum_t \sum_z \mbox{PAR}_{t, z}$

Project Activity Reduction (PAR)

The reduction is decomposed into primary and secondary effects:

$\mbox{PAR}_{t, z} = \mbox{PE}_{t, z} + \mbox{SE}_{t, z}$

Primary Effects

The total Primary Effects reduction is the delta on absolute reduction from baseline emissions induced by the project activity emissions (PAE):

$\mbox{PE}_{t, z} = \sum_p \mbox{BE}_{t, z, p} - \mbox{PAE}_{t, z, p}$

Secondary Effects

Secondary effects are correspondingly computed from secondary activity emissions reduction (SAE):

$\mbox{SE}_{t, z} = \sum_s \mbox{BE}_{t, z, s} - \mbox{SAE}_{t, z, s}$

Baseline Emissions

Baseline and Activity Emissions from primary or secondary effects are computed via emissions factors, e.g.,

$\begin{align} \mbox{BE}_{t, z, p/s} &= C_{t, z, p/s} \mbox{EF}_{z, p/s} \\ \mbox{PAE}_{t, z, p} &= C_{t, z, p} \mbox{EF}_{z, p} \\ \mbox{SAE}_{t, z, s} &= C_{t, z, s} \mbox{EF}_{z, s} \\ \end{align}$

where

• $C_{t, z, p/s}$ is a quantitative measurement of some activity and
• $\mbox{EF}_{z, p/s}$ is the corresponding emissions factor

See Also

• GHG Reporting Requirements