The California Air Resources Board, tasked with overseeing the implementation and setting of specific standards for the states myriad greenhouse gas laws, has launched an “Integrated Emissions Visualization Tool.” This tool is meant to assist facilities create an emission inventory — an estimation of the amount of pollutants discharged into the atmosphere — and can be broken down by specified source categories in a certain geographical area and within a specified time span (e.g., in a calendar year).
The emissions visualization tool allows users to locate and view emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and criteria pollutants from large facilities in California. The tool provides an interactive platform where users can select facilities by name, location, or industrial sector; view their reported emissions using maps, charts and tabular formats; and download data for later use.
Most building outside the heavy industrial sector of the commercial real estate industry are currently NOT under obligation to comply and report GHG emissions. However, as the state continues to clamp down in this area, many companies with large office, retail centers, and light manufacturing campuses are doing their homework now so they can be prepared when such rules will impact them. Click here to read more about creating an emissions inventory.