Greenhouse gas emissions reporting in Israel: Means to manage energy use

For over 10 years, the subject of publicly disclosing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by companies and organizations has gained momentum and a variety of so called 'GHG Registries' have been developed in countries around the world, with the registries' specific requirements being adjusted to local circumstances and needs. Different GHG registries are currently operating worldwide, either as mandatory or as voluntary programs. In 2010 Israel launched a voluntary initiative known as the Israel GHG Reporting and Registering System. The Israel GHG Reporting Protocol was prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Energy and Environment cluster at the Samuel Neaman Institute, in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders, including other governmental ministries, industry and local government representatives as well as non-governmental organizations. The Israel GHG Protocol is largely based on the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) corporate accounting standard and ISO 14064. It includes guidelines for mapping, quantifying and reporting GHG emissions in Israel. While the decision to join the GHG registry in Israel is currently voluntary, once an organization has joined the registry it commits to calculate and report GHG emissions according to the registry's protocol and guidelines. This aspect is important since it allows for consistency in the reported data and for comparative analysis of emission sources. The Israeli program is intended to help develop capacities and tools for organizations, industry and other private sector entities to calculate GHG emissions and to help estimate the potential for emissions reduction. This paper focuses on the analysis of the GHG emission reports submitted for 2010 and 2011 by participating companies and organizations and on how these data enable the reporting organizations to develop their databases, improve their risk management and identify opportunities for energy and process efficiency improvements that could lead to GHG emission reductions.