Emissions accounting is critical for countries, subnational governments, businesses, and climate advocates to track climate pollution and decarbonization over time. Today, GHG inventories are calculated using a range of emissions accounting methods that vary across scales (e.g. national, state, corporate) and purpose (e.g. scientific research, policy compliance, business risk mitigation).

In this Emissions Accounting 101 resource, we summarize the main methods used for emissions accounting globally and in the Northwest as well as key areas where accounting methods might evolve.