Electricity + Control September 2017

Electricity

Control

SEPTEMBER 2017

abbreviations

CDP

– Climate Disclosure

Project

GHG

–

Greenhouse Gas

GWP

– Global Warming

Protocol

INDC

– Intended Nationally

Determined Contri-

bution

IPCC

– Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate

Change

NAEIS

– National Atmos-

pheric Emission

Inventory System

hereas reporting on greenhouse gas

emissions at company level has been

practically voluntary, The Regulations

turn this into a mandatory annual activity for busi-

nesses. The aim of this article is to explain that

methods for establishing voluntary greenhouse

gas inventories are not necessarily aligned with

the reporting requirements as per The Regulations

and that businesses may have to reassess their

greenhouse gas reporting systems.

The main objective of The Regulations is to es-

tablish a framework for the collection of informa-

tion which will enable the quantification of South

Africa’s national greenhouse gas emissions. Glob-

ally, many countries have introduced mandatory

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Programs, including

the United States, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Can-

ada, New Zealand and Japan [1].

Why do companies report voluntarily?

Historically, environmental awareness initiatives

have been issues mainly at political and individ-

ual levels rather than at corporate level. Howev-

er, since the beginning of this century this trend

is changing and corporates are more and more

taking initiatives to address the negative impact

which their activities have on the environment.

Measurement and disclosure of this impact is

becoming the norm instead of a tool to obtain a

‘green’ image. Examples of such corporate initia-

tives and coalitions include the CDP (formerly the

Climate Disclosure Project), ‘We Mean Business’

and ‘The Science Based Target Initiative’.

Investors and corporates are acknowledging

the risk of not addressing climate change. This risk

Reporting Regulations:

Another Building Block for

Carbon Tax Infrastructure

Silvana Claassen, CES South Africa

This year, on 3 April, by publication in the Government Gazette 40762, the

National Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulations (The Regula-

tions throughout this article) were implemented in South Africa.

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT

Take Note!

Historically, environmen-

tal awareness initiatives

have been issues mainly

at political and individual

levels rather than at cor-

porate level.

Methods for establishing

voluntary greenhouse

gas inventories are not

necessarily aligned with

the reporting require-

ments as per The Regu-

lations.

Businesses may have

to reassess their green-

house gas reporting sys-

tems.