To scientists, carbon accounting is “the practice of making scientifically robust

and verifiable measurements of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions” (Watson 2009:

6). To political negotiators, it implies “the rules for comparing emissions and

removals as reported with commitments” at a national level (IPCC 2005: 265).

To practitioners in the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

market (see Chapter 2), it involves the measurement of reductions in emissions

relative to a hypothetical baseline and other processes associated with the sub-

sequent creation of a new tradable commodity: a carbon credit (Ministry of the