Why a National Standard Is Key

Cities and counties are already the climate action leaders in the United States. It is critical that they be empowered with the resources necessary to accelerate their climate action progress to achieve deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Community Protocol fills a major void for local governments by establishing a first-ever national standard to ensure consistency and quality in GHG emissions inventories. The Community Protocol will now allow for accurate monitoring of progress against emissions targets; and provide standard guidance as local governments pursue environmental review, inventory certification and other relevant processes in their day-to-day operations. In short, this national standard is the basis for all future climate actions, and will help all actors address the challenge of climate change more effectively.

Objectives of the Community Protocol

This Community Protocol is designed to meet the following objectives:
Measurement

• Enable local governments to estimate and report on GHG emissions associated with their communities in order to measure progress towards GHG emission reduction goals.
• Use best practice methods that align, where possible, with nationally and internationally recognized GHG accounting and reporting principles, as well as with emerging reporting processes or registries.

Policy and Actions

• Provide local governments with an assessment of GHG emissions associated with their communities so that they – and others – can make more informed decisions about where and how to pursue GHG emissions reduction opportunities.
• Help local governments engage with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders about opportunities in their communities for reducing GHG emissions.

Consistency/Comparability

• Advance consistent, comparable, and relevant quantification of GHG emissions and appropriate, transparent, and policy-relevant reporting of GHG emissions to allow communities to compare their baseline emissions.