What is the baseline in GHG Project Accounting?

The concept of a baseline in GHG Project Accounting serves as a critical point of reference for measuring the emissions reductions generated by a specific project or initiative. Status-quo-ante emissions levels represent the emissions that would occur in the absence of the project, essentially the emissions that are expected to remain if no changes are made. This provides a clear operational environment against which the effectiveness of the project can be assessed.

By establishing the status quo prior to the implementation of a project, it allows stakeholders to accurately quantify how much emissions are reduced or avoided through the project's various activities. This baseline must be a realistic and data-driven representation of emissions levels to ensure that any subsequent measurements of emissions reductions are valid and can be compared directly to this baseline. This approach also aligns with best practices in the industry, ensuring transparency and credibility in reporting emissions reductions.

Other choices such as current year’s emissions levels, projected future emissions levels, or averaged emissions over the last decade do not serve as this reference point effectively, as they either fail to capture historical context or provide a speculative view that does not reflect the actual emissions scenario prior to intervention.