New initiative launched to meet growing demand from expansion of Chinese carbon market

16 November 2011

Beijing and Washington, DC – The Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), a leading think tank on climate change and sustainable development in China, and the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI), an international non-profit organization founded to build professional capacity in measuring, reporting, verifying, and managing GHG emissions, have partnered to bring an international training curriculum on GHG accounting and verification to climate change practitioners throughout China.

The world is facing the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period, yet on the eve of the latest round of climate talks in Durban, South Africa, international climate negotiations are at a political stalemate. Moreover, while climate programs are emerging and expanding in some regions, financial turmoil and political gridlock have stymied efforts in key major emitting countries to comprehensively mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Against these political headwinds China is charting an ambitious path, committing to carbon reduction targets in its 12th five-year plan and recently announcing an “exploratory phase” of a nationwide carbon trading program. Chief among the investments necessary to move down this path is the development of a competent emission monitoring and carbon management workforce. From developing the metrics upon which climate policies are implemented to assuring the accuracy of the data underpinning carbon markets, iCET and GHGMI’s joint initiative is fundamental to addressing the challenge of climate change.

This initiative will build on iCET’s Energy and Climate Registry (ECR) – the first voluntary and comprehensive online carbon reporting platform in China – and GHGMI’s carbon management education program –the world’s largest and most comprehensive GHG measurement, reporting, and verification course curriculum. The initiative aims to equip businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities throughout China with the capacity to manage GHG emissions. The partners will develop the workforce necessary for China to pursue a low carbon development pathway by working to improve the quality of Chinese greenhouse gas emissions data.

The GHGMI-iCET initiative will deliver a professional development curriculum in both Chinese and English complemented by comprehensive examinations assessing competency in GHG quantification and verification in line with international standards and best practices. The partnership’s first course on Organizational GHG Accounting will commence 8 February 2012 in Beijing, China. Other courses on Project-level GHG Accounting, GHG Verification for Inventories and Projects, and GHG Information Management Systems will follow.

About the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation

The Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), a leading policy think-tank in the area of low-carbon development and climate change, is an independent non-profit organization registered in Beijing, China and California, USA. iCET’s mission is to mitigate climate change through the promotion of low-carbon transportation, clean energy, energy efficiency and carbon management best practices in China. iCET pursues its goals by actively developing programs with wide range of stakeholders, including Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Energy Foundation. For more information, please visit www.chinaclimateregistry.org or email luciagw@icet.org.cn.

About the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute

The Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI), an international nonprofit organization, trains, certifies, and networks the global community of experts that account for, audit, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The Institute’s membership includes individuals and organizations, from those new to the field to certified professionals, working on all aspects of climate change. GHGMI works with a number of leading climate change institutions and a globally distinguished faculty to develop and deliver training and professional development programs designed to build a robust workforce to support market mechanisms and other policy responses to climate change. For more information, please visit ghginstitute.org or email media@ghginstitute.org.

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