Climate Resilience Dashboard
EIP Project Tracker
Lake Clarity Tracker
Monitoring Dashboard
Parcel Tracker
Threshold Dashboard
Transportation Tracker
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| Critical Definitions |
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Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) – Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, absorbing the sun's energy and emitting thermal radiation, causing the earth to warm at a faster rate than usual. Principle GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and fluorinated gases. Emissions – Gases and particles which are put into the air by various sources, including point and mobile sources. Avoided Emissions – Emissions that would have been emitted under a business as usual scenario but were avoided due to the implementation of an emission reduction project. Carbon Sequestration – The process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoir. This is often the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken up by plants, soils and water. Trees, grasses, and other plants photosynthesize and store carbon in biomass (trunks, branches, foliage, and roots). |
| Accounting Period and Scale |
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GHG reduction accomplishments are reported as a standard part of project planning and completion for applicable projects. Information on expected tons of CO2-e avoided or reduced should be entered into the EIP Database by the implementing agency’s project manager once pre-project modeling is complete, and then updated upon project completion. Final accomplishments for a reporting year should be reported by December 31st of that year. |
| Project Reporting |
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Project implementers should calculate GHG emissions avoided or sequestered as a standard part of project planning for applicable projects, such as compact development and alternative transportation. Implementing agency project managers should report any pre-project analyses as expected accomplishments, and modify during project implementation. |
| Subcategory | Subcategory Options |
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| Type of Mitigation |
Avoided Emissions, Sequestration
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Show Results: By Year
| EIP Program | Is Primary EIP Program |
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| 03.02 - Transportation Program |
Project implementers must maintain records of their analyses for EIP staff review and approval. Electronic back-up documentation must be submitted to EIP staff for each project. EIP staff will need easy access to electronic files for verification of reported reductions, and will conduct verifications on 10% of submitted projects.
Project implementers should use standard, accepted protocols for project-level quantification of GHGs reduced or avoided, and report in metric tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) per year. Accepted protocols are included in the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) report, “A Resource for Local Government to Assess Emission Reductions from Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Measures”. These brief, relatively simple GHG mitigation protocols provide step-by-step guidance to calculating different mitigation measures. The mitigation measures included in the CAPCOA report reflect the types of strategies that local governments and project proponents have shown interest in, and sought direction on quantifying (CAPCOA, 2010). These include general emission category types such as energy, transportation, water, solid waste and general plans. The CAPCOA protocols are applicable in California and provide guidance for use in other states.
Projects undergoing CEQA may alternatively use that analysis to quantify the GHG impacts of projects, since CEQA requires agencies to consider GHG emissions in pre-project analyses (SAQMD, 2011). Planners should be engaged through the permitting process to report all relevant PMs. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s “CEQA Guide to Air Quality Assessment” encourages project proponents to research and develop their own methodologies for determining if a climate change analysis needs to be done and how to complete that analysis. Additionally, not all potential project types may be covered by the CAPCOA protocols. Project implementers may propose an alternative but equivalent protocol or model for quantifying GHGs avoided or reduced from projects. However, these accomplishments will not be recorded until final approval is received from the EIP Working Group.