State and Local
                                     Climate and Energy Program
  From  Inventory  to Action:

  Putting   Greenhouse  Gas

  Inventories  to   Work

  What are the uses of inventory results?
  Developing an inventory is typically the first step toward setting a state or local emissions goal, but
  inventory results have a variety of other important uses. In some ways, having an inventory is like having
  a GPS unit in your car: it shows you where you are, how to get to where you want to go, and how far
  along the path you've progressed. States and localities use greenhouse gas inventories to do the following:
• Identify sources of emissions, their current magnitude, and their rate of growth. An inventory can reveal
  which sources require priority attention and which are too small to effectively matter.
• Establish a foundation for projecting future emissions.
• Provide a basis for emissions goals and a benchmark for progress toward achieving them.
• Evaluate the effects of proposed emissions reduction policy options.
  Note that emissions inventories involve a process of continuous improvement: as methodologies are
  refined and more reliable or comprehensive sources of data are developed, states and localities can
  improve the accuracy of their inventories and projections.

  Key steps and issues in setting emissions goals
  Some of the choices and decisions below will be determined in part by inventory  results; in all cases the
  results of inventories (and projections based on them) will factor into the decision-making process.
• Scope: States and localities need to decide whether they will set goals for all six basic greenhouse gases
  or a subset of them (such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide). Goals  may be set for the entire
  economy of a jurisdiction, a subset of the economy, or particular sectors.
• Time frame: Emissions goals may be short-term (e.g., two to five years out), mid-term (e.g., 20-30
  years), or long-term (e.g., 40-50 years). The goals' time frame will influence the range of actions and
  policy options used to achieve them.  A state or locality may set a long-term goal but also have short-
  term targets that serve as incremental steps toward that goal. This approach may allow you to test and
  demonstrate the viability of a range of policy options for reducing emissions while working toward longer-
  term goals.

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                                                                                                                        Vi
                                                                                                      California GHG Inventory Forecast
                                                                                                      Last updated: June 26, 2008
                                                                                                       600
                                                                                                       500
                                                                                                    S  400
                                                                                                       300
                                                                                                   =  200
                                                                                                       100

                                                                                                              1990
Base year: The choice of a base year from which to
compare emission reduction goals is very important,
although this may be limited by data availability.
Ideally the base year should be "typical," in the sense
that emissions during that year were not influenced
by unusual conditions such  as extremely high or low
economic growth, abnormal weather, or other outliers.

Criteria: States and localities have a range of criteria to
choose from in setting their emissions goals. A goal may
be based on a scientific recommendation, such as aiming
to reduce emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels
by 2050 in order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations
at levels that avoid dangerous  impacts. Alternatively,
goals and baseline years  may be established to  be
consistent with existing targets,  such  as those of the
U.S. Council of Mayors' Climate Protection  Agreement
or another established international, national, or regional
agreement. Goals also may be designed to  be pragmatic,
based on technical and economic feasibility; this is often
the case for short-term goals.

EPA, state governments,  and a variety of organizations
can provide support for efforts to set emissions goals and
develop policies to achieve them. For more  information,
please visit the following  EPA resources  online:

Climate Change: State and Local Governments
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/index.html

Climate Change: State and Local Tools and Resources
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/tools  resources.html

Clean Energy: Local Best  Practices
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergv/energy-programs/state-and-local/local-best-practices.html

Clean Energy: State Best Practices
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergv/energy-programs/state-and-local/state-best-practices.html

Clean Energy: State and Local  Tools and Resources
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergv/energy-programs/state-and-local/tools.html
2002-2004
  average
2020
                                                                                                      Transportation
                                                                                                      Electric Power
                                                                                                      Commercial and Residential
                                                                                                      Industrial
        Recycling and Waste
        High GWP
        Agriculture
        Forestry
                                                                                                      California projected business-as-usual emissions (see graph)
                                                                                                      from its inventory to assess what reductions would be
                                                                                                      needed to meet 1990 emissions levels by 2020. Source: Draft
                                                                                                      California 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Forecast, 2008.
                                    EPA-430-F-09-002    February 2009

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