Widening its scope of project activities, the Global Carbon Council (GCC) has published a multi co-benefits Methodology for Desalinated Water Savings in Buildings (GCCM005) aimed at fostering simultaneous adaptation and mitigation efforts to tackle climate change. As MENA region’s first and only global voluntary carbon offsetting program, GCC’s methodologies support project owners of eligible greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects to calculate emission reduction of their projects, monitor the emission reductions and develop the project submission in accordance with the methodologies. Reductions achieved from green projects are eventually translated into tradeable carbon offsets.
Being necessary for the sustenance of human life, water is not a limitless earthly resource. Without impactful conservation efforts, the vital supply of water may be exhausted, especially in water scarce regions where severe effects of climate change, such as long-lasting droughts have already been experienced. Regions such as Middle East, where sweet water is scarce, countries have adopted energy intensive treatment methods (e.g. desalination) for converting seawater to potable water. Desalination of water, therefore, results in increased carbon footprint due to the treatment’s energy-intensive nature as well as concentrated brine discharge to sea that has adverse impacts on marine life. Water conservation efforts, therefore, encompass climate change adaptation and other environmental biodiversity benefits, all the while conserving energy and resources.
GCC’s latest Methodology for Desalinated Water Savings in Buildings (GCCM005) is for project activities implementing technologies and measures for desalinated water savings at the consumers’ side, where the consumers are connected to a water grid that is supplied with water produced by desalination plants. Desalination of water, unlike other water treatment methods, has very high carbon footprint associated with fossil fuel use in the desalination process, which can be drastically reduced by water savings measures. By providing the methodological framework to facilitate access to carbon finance for implementation of measures targeted at saving water serves multiple benefits such as conservation of water resources, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions associated with conveyance, desalination and distribution of the water. The approved GCCM005 methodology along with the established environmental preservation effects also comes with additional multi co-benefits manifested in social aspects and community resilience enhancement.
Previously, GCC approved Methodology for Water Grid Connected Renewable Energy Based Desalination Plant – V1 (GCCM004) in order to incentivize project activities to decrease the carbon footprint of the desalination process. Together the newly adopted methodology for desalinated water savings in buildings and the methodology for water grid connected renewable energy based desalination plant provide full-fledged solution for the project activities targeted at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the water sector.
Project activities eligible to use GCC’s latest methodology include technologies and measures for desalinated water savings at the consumers side, where the consumers are connected to a water grid that is supplied with water produced by desalination plants and via the water grid the water is distributed to end users. GCC’s latest GCCM005 methodology is applicable to new or existing residential, commercial, or institutional buildings. In the climate change impacted world, water will become scarce and this methodology, can also be seen as part of the solution to address the issue via climate finance.
