Now that the Kyoto Protocol has entered into force, greenhouse gas emissions are becoming an increasingly important issue around the world. Countries, regions, organizations, and others are actively designing and implementing climate change policies and projects.

All climate policies and projects, and especially market-based mechanisms, require credible data. The infrastructure and methodologies needed to reliably quantify greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration are the foundation of effective climate change mitigation options. The groundwork for policies and projects begin with an emissions inventory, followed by the implementation of more rigorous emissions monitoring and verification systems.

Our community of experts in the methodologies and systems for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from sources (and removals by sinks) is small, but growing. New practitioners, especially in developing countries, strongly desire more contact with their colleagues. Existing experts want to share their expertise, ask questions of their colleagues, and discuss issues. And now, methodology experts in the area of estimating emission baselines and reductions from projects and facilities are taking on a central role in emissions trading.

Until now, our community of new and existing experts was fragmented and had no centralized venue for communication. Specifically, there was no online forum for experts in greenhouse gas inventories, emissions monitoring, and verification to interact and share information in this rapidly changing field.

By connecting experts, we can build a larger and more capable community of practitioners. This knowledge network will enable this interaction, thus increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of inventory practitioners. The result will be more complete, accurate, and policy-relevant emission inventories at all levels (e.g., global, national, local, corporate, facility, and project).

In sum, we are building a global knowledge network of greenhouse gas experts.