For Feds to Tax Carbon, Something Has to Measure It

If Congress decides to cap or tax carbon emissions, how might your firm track what it uses or owes? Chances are you’ll either get an updated SAP or a stand-alone software program to do the calculations.

As The New York Times reported today , start up firm Hara has launched a software program that helps companies track and potentially reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, SAP AG last month said it would acquire Clear Standards, Inc., a privately held firm that helps organizations measure, optimize and report greenhouse gas emissions.

Evergreen Energy Inc. subsidiary C-Lock Technology, IBM and Enterprise Information Management Inc. have developed a carbon information management technology solution that currently serves agriculture and energy companies.

Expect to hear a lot of claims and counterclaims as developers mix science and technology in the quest to measure carbon emissions.

“A green economy built on carbon avoidance and cap-and-trade programs can’t be sustained with approximations or best-guesses,” said Jim Bitonti, president of C-Lock. “Existing emissions measurement tools are acknowledged to be inaccurate by as much as 30 percent, an unacceptable failure level that can cost businesses millions and threaten the credibility of nascent carbon markets.”