Introduction
Over the past 13 years, the GHG Protocol has created internationally accepted standards and protocols for the development of corporate inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These protocols are in use by thousands of companies around the world and are the basis for virtually all GHG reporting programs, including a national voluntary reporting program (Brazil GHG Protocol Program) and emerging state-level reporting programs in Brazil. However, these protocols and programs do not cater to the specific technical demands of the agricultural sector. Thus, GHG Protocol is starting a two-year project to create new technical resources to allow Brazilian companies and policy makers to more effectively measure and manage the GHG emissions from agriculture. Currently, Brazil is the fifth largest GHG emitter worldwide, largely because of the importance of agriculture and land use change, which contribute 19% and 55%, respectively, to national emissions.
Objectives of the project
- Establish nationally recognized tools for measuring and managing agricultural emissions at the corporate level;
- Build capacity of Brazilian companies in the use of these tools to develop GHG emissions reduction strategies;
- Integrate robust methodologies for measuring agricultural GHG emissions into national and state-level GHG reporting programs and registries in Brazil.
What are the technical resources?
1. A GHG accounting guidance that customizes the international GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance to Brazil. This country-specific guidance will establish a consistent framework for understanding the sources of emissions that must be included in corporate- and farm-level inventories, as well as the emissions data that must be reported within these inventories.
2. A list of national and sub-national emission factors for calculating the GHG emissions from agriculture and land use change.
How can I get involved?
The new guidance will be developed through an intensive stakeholder consultation process involving a Technical Working Group (TWG). The TWG will be composed of representatives of agricultural producers, downstream companies such as processors and food and drink brand manufacturers, industry associations, academia, technical and environmental NGOs, government agencies, and state and national GHG reporting programs, amongst others. In general, the TWG will provide input on the scope and content of the guidance to ensure its alignment with the needs and context of Brazilian agribusiness.
How can I join the TWG?
To join the group, please send an e-mail advising interest to:
Roberto Strump, WRI consultant
or
Stephen Russell
