GHG Assurance Services
GREENHOUSE GAS ASSURANCE SERVICES
Scope
CRA applied to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to become accredited as a Designated Operational Entity (DOE) to perform Validation and Verification Auditing activities under the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). In November 2005, the CDM Accreditation Panel agreed that CRA had successfully completed the desk audit and on-site assessment stages of the application process. The CDM Accreditation Panel issued an Indicative Letter on November 25, 2005, authorizing CRA to provide validation and verification services, and submit proposed project methodologies for CDM projects in accordance with the third and final stage (project witnessing) of its application process.
At its 46th meeting in March 2009, the CDM Executive Board (EB) adopted a revised accreditation procedure and an accreditation standard for DOEs. Under the new accreditation system, the phased accreditation and witnessing activities were replaced with random performance assessments. A project witnessing is no longer required and an on-site assessment of CRA's verification and validation system was performed on August 26 and 27, 2009, at CRA's offices in Waterloo, Ontario. In response to this reassessment, CRA has updated its verification and validation system documents and procedures for submittal to the Accreditation Panel team of the UNFCCC. Once the documents are resubmitted, the Accreditation Panel Team will submit a report to the EB for final approval and accreditation.
Background
The Kyoto Protocol was established in 1997 as the first legally binding international agreement to encourage worldwide mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, signatory countries (Parties) are required to reduce their GHG emissions to a predetermined level between 2008 and 2012.
To assist Parties in meeting their emission reduction commitments, the UNFCCC has developed three mechanisms: the CDM, Joint Implementation (JI), and Emissions Trading (ET). These mechanisms allow countries to meet their emission reduction targets through cost-effective measures.
Under the three UNFCCC mechanisms, the GHG project must first be validated and registered, then reduced emission credits must be verified and certified by a third-party verifier. For UNFCCC CDM projects, a third-party verifier must be approved as a DOE.
Associated with the reduction of GHG emissions is the creation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) credits. These credits represent a commodity that can be traded in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol. As a result, conducting audits for the validation/registration and verification/certification of projects relating to the reduction of anthropogenic emissions from sources of GHG has become extremely important. In accordance with the Modalities and Procedures (M&P) for the UNFCCC CDM Registry, eligible GHG emission reduction projects are to be evaluated by DOEs.
CRA's Roles and Responsibilities as a DOE
As an accredited DOE, CRA will have two key roles/responsibilities: validate and request registration of a proposed CDM project activity, and verify emission reductions of a registered CDM project activity for issuance of Certified Emission Reductions accordingly.
To meet the requirements of a DOE, as specified by the CDM Accreditation Standard for Operational Entities (CDM Accreditation Standard) and the CDM M&P, CRA organized the Greenhouse Gas Assurance Services (GGAS) Group to manage CDM projects.
The sectors for which CRA has applied for DOE accreditation include:
- Energy industries (renewable/non-renewable sources)
- Manufacturing industries
- Chemical industries
- Fugitive emissions from fuels (solid, oil, and gas)
- Solvent use
- Waste handling and disposal
In accordance with Section 27 (f) of the Annex to the CDM M&P, CRA will maintain several publicly available documents and lists:
- A list of all CDM project activities for which it has carried out validation, verification, and certification
- Project design documents, in accordance with provisions on confidentiality, for those projects on which CRA is conducting validation audits
- Comments received (within a 30-day posting period) on the validation requirements for a project from Parties, stakeholders, and UNFCCC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Any comments or complaints received from Parties, project stakeholders, and UNFCCC-accredited NGOs should be forwarded to CRA's GHG Assurance Manager. Please select the link to download CRA's procedures for handling complaints, disputes, and appeals, or contact CRA's GHG Assurance Manager. To download CRA's form to register a complaint, dispute, or appeal, please click here.
CRA's Commitment to Impartial and Transparent Operations
CRA is committed to conducting its CDM validation and verification services in an impartial and transparent manner, free of conflicts of interest. To this end, CRA conducts internal reviews to prevent acceptance of any engagement that may create a threat to impartiality or a potential or actual conflict of interest. CRA encourages feedback from any Party, client, stakeholder or the public regarding any matter that may be construed as threat to CRA's impartiality in provision of its services. Please contact the GHG Assurance Manager or the Principal-in-Charge of GHG Assurance Services regarding any questions or comments.
