California on Tuesday joined other 30 U.S. states in the nation's first cooperative effort to develop consistent protocols to track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The multi-state emissions registry, The Climate Registry, will allow Californian companies and organizations to join a national effort to measure, track and report GHG emissions.

"Today marks another important step toward a nationwide effort to fight global warming," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told Xinhua in an e-mailed statement.

"Developing a common standard for reporting and recording greenhouse gases is an essential component to a national climate action policy," the governor said.

"I'm proud that this multi-state registry was modeled after California 's Climate Action Registry (CCAR) and trust that the rest of the nation will join our fight to protect the environment and secure a sound economy," he said.

The cooperative effort will help support a wide range of state and regional programs designed to manage and reduce GHG emissions.

By Jan. 1, 2008, The Climate Registry will provide members with third-party verified, highly accurate emission formulas to create a shared standard for measuring and reporting data, so that a ton of carbon dioxide in California is the same as a ton in South Carolina.

The Climate Registry is modeled after CCAR, a non-profit organization established by legislation in 2000 and the nation's only working voluntary emissions registry, with 250 members and more than 300 million tons of emissions registered.

The CCAR also provides a sophisticated web-based emissions tracking system to its members, requiring on-site verification and certification of reported emissions data.

The full list of founding member states and tribes in The Climate Registry thus far includes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the Campo Kumeyaay Nation.

Two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Manitoba, have also committed to participating in The Climate Registry.

Source: Xinhua