Greenhouse gas tracking will be covered by a federal mandate in the United States and the first reports are due in 2011 for the previous year. Those affected, including business and government, must comply or be subjected to significant penalty. Companies that would be affected use heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems or refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Entities that produce industrial chemicals or that manufacture cars and engines will also be affected.
The US Clean Air Act aims to improve air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Within this aim, the Climate Registry Protocol covers greenhouse gas tracking and outlines the need for mandatory monitoring.
A big part of the greenhouse gas tracking requirement is its focus on the refrigerant gases used in refrigeration and cooling systems at a wide variety of facilities. This list includes but is not limited to food processors, grocery stores, office buildings, hospital buildings, retailers and local government facilities. It is known that refrigerant gases include significant levels of carbon in the form of perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. These compounds have been regulated under the US Clean Air Act for some years.
Greenhouse gases absorb and release radiation into the atmosphere, setting off a global warming effect on earth. The purpose of Greenhouse Gas tracking is to pinpoint the main origins of greenhouse gases and monitor the amount discharged into the atmosphere. This provides environmental officials with a base line in which to measure all future usage and evaluate progress. With this accurate information, it can be determined if the guidelines are effective in lowering the harmful effects of these substances to the ozone layer.
Greenhouse gas tracking measures indirect and direct emissions alike and helps to keep extensive records on such important subjects as maintenance, leaks and disposal. Heating and cooling systems and other energy sources are defined as producing these direct emissions.
Greenhouse Gas tracking was among the major goals of the Obama administration as the United States aims to protect the future of the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of today. By taking no action, the earth’s makeup would significantly change, with humans and animals adversely affected and marine and plant life severely damaged.
Greenhouse Gas tracking will become law because it was determined that certain manmade compounds contribute substantially to global warming. The substances are carbon dioxide, chlorine, bromine, nitrous oxide, chloroflurocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, methyl bromide, methyl chloroform, sulfur hexafluoride, hydroxyl, perfluorocarbobs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, fluorine, and the fluorinated gases hydrofluorinated ethers and nitrogen trifluoride. The mandatory law is aimed at reducing the use of these substances to lower the effects of global warming.
Although greenhouse gas tracking was once optional it now becomes mandatory, and from 2010 the regulation requires companies and municipalities to provide exact information on how much of the global warming substances they use and if any leaks occur. Software applications have been developed, with web based applications available to assist companies in complying with this law.
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