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

The subject of publicly disclosing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by companies and organizations is gaining momentum and a variety of so called 'GHG Registries' have been developed in countries around the globe, while specific requirements are being adjusted to local circumstances and needs. Different GHG Registries are currently operating worldwide, either as mandatory or as voluntary programs. Israel launched a voluntary initiative in 2010 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. 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 methodology guidance to allow for consistency in the reported data and for accurate comparison of the results. The Israeli program is intended to help develop capacities and tools for organizations, industry and various other private sector entities to manage their GHG emissions by annually calculating and submitting their emission inventories which will also help them to estimate the potential for emissions reduction. This paper focuses on the analysis of the GHG emission reports submitted for 2010, 2011 and 2012 by participating companies and organizations and on how these data enable the reporting organizations to develop their databases, improve their risk management capabilities and identify opportunities for energy and process efficiency improvements that could lead to GHG emissions reduction.