Overview

The California Climate Action Registry is a private non-profit organization originally formed by the State of California. The California Registry serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions by organizations. The California Registry provides leadership on climate change by developing and promoting credible, accurate, and consistent GHG reporting standards and tools for organizations to measure, monitor, third-party verify and reduce their GHG emissions consistently across industry sectors and geographical borders.

 

California Registry members voluntarily measure, verify, and publicly report their GHG emissions, are leaders in their respective industry sectors, and are actively participating in solving the challenge of climate change. In turn, the State of California offers its best efforts to ensure that California Registry members receive appropriate consideration for early actions in light of future state, federal or international GHG regulatory programs. Registry members are well prepared to participate in market based solutions and upcoming regulatory requirements.

 

The California Registry is regarded as a leading international thought center on climate change issues and an intersection where business, government and environmental organizations meet to work together to implement practical and effective solutions.

History/Enabling Legislation:

The California Climate Action Registry was formed in 2001 when a group of CEOs, who were investing in energy efficiency projects that reduced their organizations’ greenhouse gas emissions, requested the state create a place to accurately report their greenhouse gas emissions history. These farsighted CEOs saw eventual regulation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG’s) and wanted to protect their early actions to reduce emissions by having a credible and accurate record of their profiles and baselines. Subsequently, the bill SB1771 was introduced to the legislature by Senator Byron Sher and the California Climate Action Registry was formed. Technical changes were made to the statute in SB527 and eventually it was signed by Governor Gray Davis on October 13, 2001, finalizing the structure for the California Registry.

 

The California Registry started with 23 Charter Members and currently has over 300 of the world’s largest and leading corporations, universities, cities & counties, government agencies and environment organizations voluntarily measuring, monitoring, and publicly reporting their GHG emissions using the California Registry’s protocols and working together to solve climate change.