Emission trading schemes – avenues for unified accounting practices

Emission trading has emerged as a preferred mechanism to address the global challenge of climate change. Crafting an effective greenhouse gas accounting and disclosure program is fundamental to the design of an emission trading scheme. This paper reviews emission trading schemes that are currently administered under various regulatory and voluntary regimes. In particular, we look at how these emission trading schemes differ when addressing risk and assurance within their monitoring and disclosure programs. One important finding is that significant variations in terms of assurance engagement, spatial scope and level of compliance exist. It is concluded that harmonization of these approaches is desirable if an effective and functional global emission trading scheme is to be implemented.