GHG Schemes

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases in the atmosphere that trap the sun’s heat, making the Earth warmer. This heat-trapping property is known as the greenhouse effect. GHGs include gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The greenhouse effect occurs naturally and is essential for life on Earth, keeping our planet warm enough to sustain life.

However, human activities such as deforestation and fossil fuel use have increased the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere. This enhanced greenhouse effect traps more of the sun’s radiation, leading to global warming. Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth’s average temperature.

CORSIA, EOL, GCC, GS, and VCS are all schemes that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CORSIA focuses on international aviation, EoL promotes sustainable and ethical products, GCC is a carbon credit program based in the Global South, GS is a certification mark for emission reduction projects, and VCS certifies credible carbon credits.

Assurance of Environmental Reports, Quantification and Reporting of GHG Emissions and Removals at the Organization Level, and Quantification, Monitoring and Reporting of GHG Emission Reductions or Removal Enhancements at the Project Level are all about ensuring accurate and reliable reporting of environmental impacts and GHG emissions at various levels.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Water Footprint, and Carbon Footprint of Products are methodologies for assessing the environmental impacts of products or services throughout their life cycle, including the use of water and the emission of carbon dioxide.

These schemes collectively contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change by promoting sustainable practices and transparency in reporting environmental impacts. They provide frameworks for organizations to quantify, monitor, and report their environmental performance and to offset their carbon emissions. They also help consumers make informed choices about the products they buy.

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CORSIA

Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation CORSIA. It's a global initiative developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to address the impact of aviation on climate change. CORSIA is a significant initiative to address aviation's environmental impact and promote a more sustainable future for air travel.

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Economy of Love

The Economy of Love (EOL) is a certification standard that promotes sustainable, ethical, and transparent practices throughout the supply chain. Inspired by the SEKEM initiative, EOL defines holistic sustainability across four dimensions: society, economy, culture, and environment.

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Global Carbon Council

The Global Carbon Council (GCC), formerly known as the Global Carbon Trust (GCT), is the MENA region's first voluntary carbon offsetting program. It was established by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) in 2016. The Global Carbon Council plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable and low-carbon development while helping organizations achieve carbon neutrality through transparent carbon credits and a marketplace.

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Gold Standard

The Gold Standard (GS), also known as the Gold Standard for the Global Goals, is a certification mark program for non-governmental emission reductions projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Voluntary Carbon Market, and other climate and development interventions. It is published and administered by the Gold Standard Foundation, a non-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Assurance of Environmental Reports

The ISO 14016:2020 is a part of the Environmental Management series of standards. It provides principles and guidelines for assuring the environmental information an organization includes in its environmental reports. This standard is applicable to assuring other types of reports in principle, provided that special consideration is paid to identifying the competence needed by the assurance provider.

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Life Cycle Assessment

The International Standard ISO 14044:2006, titled “Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines”, provides requirements and guidelines for conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA). This includes the definition of the goal and scope of the LCA, the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, the life cycle interpretation phase, reporting and critical review of the LCA, limitations of the LCA, relationship between the LCA phases, and conditions for use of value choices and optional elements.

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Water Footprint

ISO 14046 is an international standard that provides principles, requirements, and guidelines related to water footprint assessment of products, processes, and organizations based on life cycle assessment (LCA). ISO 14046 specifies how to assess and report the water footprint of a product, process, or organization. It focuses on water use and its impact on the environment throughout the life cycle of a product or a process.

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ISO 14064-1:2018

ISO 14064-1 details principles and requirements for designing, developing, managing and reporting organization-level GHG inventories. It includes requirements for determining GHG emission and removal boundaries, quantifying an organization’s GHG emissions and removals, and identifying specific company actions or activities aimed at improving GHG management. The ISO 14064-1:2018 is a part of the ISO 14064 series of standards that focuses on the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals at the organization level.

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ISO 14064-2:2019

The ISO 14064-2:2019 standard is part of the ISO 14060 family of standards. It provides guidance at the project level for the quantification, monitoring, and reporting of activities intended to cause greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions or removal enhancements. It specifies principles and requirements for planning a GHG project. It helps in identifying and selecting GHG sources, sinks, and reservoirs (SSRs) relevant to the project and baseline scenario. It provides guidance for monitoring, quantifying, documenting, and reporting GHG project performance and managing data quality.

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Carbon Footprint of Products

ISO 14067:2018 is an international standard that provides principles, requirements, and guidelines for the quantification and reporting of the carbon footprint of a product (CFP). This is done in a manner consistent with International Standards on life cycle assessment (LCA) (ISO 14040 and ISO 14044). The standard addresses only a single impact category: climate change. Carbon offsetting and communication of CFP or partial CFP information are outside the scope of the standard. It does not assess any social or economic aspects or impacts, or any other environmental aspects and related impacts potentially arising from the life cycle of a product.

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Verified Carbon Standard

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is a widely recognized greenhouse gas (GHG) crediting program. The voluntary carbon market enables individuals, companies, or organizations to offset emissions that cannot be completely reduced in the short term. By purchasing credits on the voluntary carbon market, entities support projects that not only avoid pollution or remove emissions but also provide sustainable development benefits such as access to health services and education in project communities. The VCS Program is distinct from compliance markets, which are largely driven by government policies or legally binding agreements.