Development of a standardized greenhouse gas assessment procedure for Caritas

Situation

Caritas Switzerland aims at using a standardized methodology to estimate the impact of (planned) project activities on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in agricultural and climate projects of Caritas. Changes in land management can play an important role in GHG fluxes; quantifying greenhouse gas fluxes is therefore necessary for engaging in climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land management. An inclusive climate proofing approach comprising GHG assessments can thus ensure that project activities don't contribute to climate change (e.g. by triggering GHG emissions) but rather allow combining adaptation and mitigation measures (which is often possible in agriculture-related projects). The methodology to asses GHG emissions should, if possible, also allow assessing emissions throughout the value chain of agricultural products as well as emissions from other project activities (e.g. energy efficiency, renewable energy). Furthermore, the methodology should allow for a monitoring of emissions during and after project implementation. Ideally, the methodology/tool shall be integrated into a climate proofing approach of Caritas projects, but it should also be possible to use it as a stand-alone assessment. It is envisaged that Caritas project teams should be able to apply at least initial/rough estimations on their own, after appropriate training and possibly with some backstopping through a longer-term partner institution.