1.3 Outline of LAKS “Climate Accountability System”

 

The focus of the LAKS project is on the implementation of a Climate Accountability System, which is a 3-phase process.

 

Each phase produces a specific tool and involves a specific level of competence in the Municipality, as described below:

1. Emissions Inventory: each city will complete a greenhouse emissions report based on an inventory of all the GHG emissions of the municipality.

 

2. Mitigation actions: the climate accountability system includes a specific phase to develop a strategy plan, including relevant actions that the Municipality will implement to reduce GHG emissions.

 

3. Measurement of GHG emissions reduction: the last phase of the climate accountability system foresees the measurement of emissions reduction obtained through the mitigation actions, in order to develop a “climate balance”. This balance will account for action implemented, GHG reduction, and cost of the investment.

 

Figure 1 below shows the structure of the system.

 

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Figure 1: The LAKs climate accountability system

 

As shown in Figure 1, the system is not a linear process but is a cycle: the inventory needs to be updated periodically in order to appreciate the results obtained through the mitigation actions. In addition the effect of the mitigation actions will be calculated and in relation to these results a new mitigation and adaptation plan can be developed.

 

The LAKS Climate Accountability System is based on ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) 5 Milestone Process, adapted to assist LAKS cities with the calculation of their "Government Operations" GHG emissions and the geo-political area "Community" GHG emissions. This choice is based on the synergies that could be created between the milestones foreseen in the CCP model and the phases in the LAKS model .

 

In particular:

• LAKS “Emissions inventory” Phase 1 aligns with Milestone 1 of the CCP model (“Calculation of GHG emissions”.)

• LAKS “Mitigation Actions” Phase 2 aligns with Milestones 2, 3 and 4 of the CCP model (“Set targets”, “Develop an Action Plan”, “Implement policy measures”)

• LAKS “Measurement of GHG Emissions Reductions” Phase 3 aligns with Milestone 5 of the CCP model (“Monitor progress”)