Getting Every Ton of Emissions Right

This working paper addresses widespread errors in the emission factors used for accounting for indirect greenhouse gas emissions from purchased electricity in China. It notes that incorrect factors used in 2010 could lead to a 49 percent over-estimation of emissions and warns that such inaccuracies distort signals for GHG mitigation decisions. Drawing on the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1:2006, the paper provides detailed calculation processes and default emission factors for China's regional grids to guide policy makers and corporate users.

• There are widespread errors in the emission factors used to account for indirect emissions from purchased electricity at the organizational level in China. Using incorrect emission factors for purchased electricity in 2010 could result in an over-estimation of greenhouse gas emissions by up to 49 percent.
• The use of inappropriate emission factors for purchased electricity leads to inaccurate accounting results and distorted signals, which can mislead analysis and decisions regarding greenhouse gas mitigation, even if those factors are used consistently by all companies within the same country.
• The working paper establishes guidelines for what should and should not be included in emission factor calculations for purchased electricity, based on the ISO 14064-1:2006 Specification and the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (revised edition). It provides detailed calculation processes and default emission factors for regional grids in China.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Getting Every Ton of Emissions Right. https://www.wri.org/research/getting-every-ton-emissions-right

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Getting Every Ton of Emissions Right. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/getting-every-ton-emissions-right.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Getting Every Ton of Emissions Right |url=https://www.wri.org/research/getting-every-ton-emissions-right |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendgetting, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Getting Every Ton of Emissions Right}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/getting-every-ton-emissions-right}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }