Shell believes that any emissions program must have a reliable monitoring process and tracking system, beginning with an accurate emission inventory. Our participation is a reasonable first step in supporting California’s greenhouse gas control efforts.

—Aamir Farid, Shell Martinez (California) refinery general manager

The Registry has developed a General Protocol and additional industry-specific protocols which give guidance on how to inventory GHG emissions for participation in the Registry: what to measure, how to measure, the back-up data required, and certification requirements.

When organizations become participants, they agree to register their GHG emissions for all operations in California, and are encouraged to report nationwide. Both gross emissions and efficiency metrics are recorded. The Registry requires the inclusion of all direct GHG emissions, along with indirect GHG emissions from electricity use.

The Registry requires the reporting of only CO₂ emissions for the first three years of participation, although participants are encouraged to report the remaining five GHGs covered in the Kyoto protocol (CH₄, N₂O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF₆). The reporting of all six gases is required after three years of Registry participation.

The Registry results are certified by independent third-parties to ensure compliance with Registry protocols and standardization across participants and sectors. More than 70 major companies, cities, government agencies and NGOs measure and publicly report their GHG emissions through the Registry.