Global Protocol for Community Scale
GHG Accounting
September 2014
Susan Carstairs

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Purpose of study
• To learn about the degree of our dependence on
fossil fuels
• To test the feasibility of applying the GPC
• To examine whether a local account could assist in
motivating action on emissions reduction

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Trial application in Lochaber

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Results
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
CO2e t

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Reflections on results
Per capita figure high at 18.77t CO2e vs Highland 9.5t (DECC 2013)
Presence of large industries
- Smelting 3.39t
- Quarrying 2.61t
Inclusion of areas not normally accounted
- Fishing 1.2t
Geographical factors
- Use of energy at home per HH
- Lochaber 7.39t Scottish average 6.2t (CCF)
- Road transport
- Lochaber 3.8t Scottish average 2t (DECC)

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Comments on data compilation
• High quality data
– Electricity from DECC
– Non electricity fuel data contributed from public bodies
and local industries
– Transport fuel data contributed for fishing, passenger
railways, steam train
– MSW from Highland Council
– Industrial emissions reported to SEPA through SPRI
– Livestock based on June census

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Data cont.
• Medium quality data
– Use of fuels other than electricity
– Road transport based on DfT AADF
– Rail freight based on research (Clarke and Van Kalles)
– Waste water emissions based on population
• Low quality data
– Off grid gas data not available

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Comments on value of GPC
• Clear and consistent with UK national inventory
• Use of energy needs to be disaggregated
• Transport emissions complex
• Tourism has a very significant effect – on transport
but also on waste and energy

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Last but not least
• Consumption emissions not accounted
- both higher than territorial and rising rather than
falling (Barrett et al, 2013)
• ICLEI – USA and PAS 2070 propose ways to deal
with this through a hybrid account
• GLA has carried out a trial assessment of PAS
2070 for London (BSI, 2014)

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London
• Three reports for 2010
• London Energy and Greenhouse Gas Inventory
– 5.51t CO2e per cap
• Direct Plus Supply Chain
– 10.05t CO2e per cap
• Consumption Based Methodology
– 14.15t CO2e per cap

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Is it useful?
• To motivate local action on reduction
- Initial meetings with businesses, public sector bodies
and environmental activists
- Clear interest in a local account
- Need to be integrated with local government efforts
• To understand the nature of our dependence

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References
ARIKAN, Y, DESAI, R, BHATIA, P and FONG, W.K, 2012a, Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(GPC) version 0.9, C40 Cities and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
Barrett, J, Peters, G, Wiedmann, T, Scott, K, Lenzen, M, Roelich, K, Le Quere, C, 2013, Consumption based GHG emission
Accounting: a UK case study, Climate Policy, 13 (4) 451-470
Brander, M, Carstairs, S, Topp, KFE, 2013, Global protocol for community scale greenhouse gas emissions, Greenhouse Gas
Measurement and Management, 3 (3-4), pp149-165
British Standards Institution, 2013, PAS 2070: specification for the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of a city,
www.bsigroup.com
British Standards Institution, 2014, Application of PAS 2070 – London United Kingdom, BSI Standards Authority, London
Clarke, G and Van Kalles, M, 2011, Emissions Benchmarking: considering the viability of a rail freight study, AECOM, Dept for
Transport
Druckman, A, Buck, I, Hayward, B, Jackson, T, 2012, Time gender and carbon: A study of the carbon implications of British
adults’ use of time, Ecological Economics, 84, pp153-163
ICLEI-USA, 2012, US Community protocol for accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, www.icleiusa.org
Kennedy, C, Steinberger, J, Gasson B, Hansen, Y Hillman, T, Havranek, M, Pataki, D, Phdungsilp, A, Ramaswami,A, Mendez,
GV, 2010, Methodology for inventorying greenhouse gas emissions from global cities, Energy Policy, Vol 38 pp 4828-
4837