2.17.2004 ET

(CSRwire) Los Angeles/Geneva - The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today announced it is joining the California Climate Action Registry, a nonprofit voluntary registry for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

"The WBCSD has long been an advocate of voluntary actions by business to combat climate change. By joining the Registry as an affiliate, we wish to further demonstrate business leadership in reducing GHGs," said the WBCSD's President Björn Stigson.

"We welcome initiatives to recognize early actions for GHG reductions. Thus, the State of California's plan to recognize early actions by Registry participants in the event of a state, federal, or international GHG regulatory scheme, has also motivated our decision," added Stigson.

The mission of the Registry is in line with the WBCSD's rationale. The Registry's program and online software, CARROT, facilitate and standardize the measurement and management of companies' emissions.

Moreover, the various accounting and reporting protocols developed by the Registry are largely based on the GHG Protocol, a set of corporate GHG emissions accounting standards developed by the WBCSD and the World Resources Institute (WRI) that are widely accepted around the world. A revised edition of the Protocol is planned for release in March. "We support initiatives that lead to a greater harmonization of tools and practices in this area," said Stigson.

"The participation of the WBCSD in the Registry highlights the fact that consistent global GHG accounting is a necessity for an effective business response to the problem of climate change," commented Diane Wittenberg, President of the Registry. "We hope that this will stimulate WBCSD members with operations in the United States to report their GHG emissions to the Registry, using internationally recognized standards to mitigate their climate risks."

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a coalition of 170 international companies united by a shared commitment to sustainable development. The council also benefit from a Regional Network of 48 business councils and partner organizations, representing a diversified group of business leaders worldwide.

The California Climate Action Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. Over 40 major companies, cities, government agencies and NGO's measure and publicly report their GHG emissions through the Registry.

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