It will cover emissions generated in the period April 2009 to March 2012. There is the possibility of extending it to March 2013.
The government recognizes a hierarchy of actions to combat the effects of climate change. The government has urged public, businesses and the public sector to take action on their carbon footprint by calculating emissions, avoiding emissions, reducing emissions and then, lastly, to consider offsetting.
Offsetting mitigates the impact of emissions that cannot currently be avoided or reduced by leading to emissions reductions elsewhere in the world.
GCOF II will facilitate the purchase by government departments and other public sector organizations of Gold Standard or equivalent Certified Emissions Reduction(CER) credits under the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism. All purchases will be quality assured under the government’s Quality Assurance Scheme on carbon offsetting, operated by AEA Group.
GCOF II is a framework agreement operated by the UK Government’s procurement agency, Buying Solutions, with 10 suppliers. Buying Solutions intends to conduct quarterly e-auctions for CER credits requested by participating public sector organizations.
The first phase of GCOF was designed to meet the Prime Ministerial commitment to offset ministerial and official air travel emissions in central government. The government purchased 305,000 Certified Emissions Reduction (CERs) credits from Trading Emissions in respect of this first phase covering emissions from April 2006 to March 2009.
Joan Ruddock, minister of state at Department of Energy and Climate Change, said: ”Today’s launch of the second phase of GCOF shows that government is committed to addressing its carbon impact where emissions from air travel are a consequence of carrying out essential government business. Offsetting has a legitimate role to play in managing emissions where they cannot be avoided or reduced.
”Using Gold Standard or equivalent, Kyoto-compliant credits approved under the government’s Quality Assurance Scheme for carbon offsetting not only means that the carbon impact of government air travel is mitigated, but that the government is continuing to support sustainable development in developing countries.”
