In horse racing terms, the First Quarter of 2007 represented the “Trifecta’” for greenhouse gas management and carbon constraint — with decisions in the scientific, financial and legal communities driving this nation past the tipping point on greenhouse gas (GHG).

A panel of over 2500 scientists from 130 countries announced that they were 90% certain that mankind’s activities had caused the global warming

The financial community was rocked with news of TXU, the largest buyout at $44bb, predicated on a ground breaking deal with environmentalists to cut GHG emissions

Finally, the Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. EPA, took the last step, by finding that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could regulate GHG under the Clean Air Act and that the States had the right to sue if EPA failed to act

With our nation having passed the tipping point, it is now clear that GHG regulation and restriction is coming and carbon is going on the balance sheet. What used to be free will now cost industry upwards of $20/ton!

With total costs in the U.S. estimated to be $50bb ($160bb world wide), the imposition of restraints on carbon (whether by tax or cap/trade) promise to deliver a wrenching financial restructuring.

Because of the financial implications of carbon going on the balance sheet, every affected organization must be able to measure its CO2 emissions.

The foundations for any GHG policy are systems that produces auditable, verifiable, standardized emissions data.

Affected companies like utilities and chemical manufacturers need to measure their footprint, disclose their financial risk to their investors, plan for reductions, and earn the credibility that is critical to getting a voice with policy makers.

And, governments, at all levels, need this data to assess the tax and measure the effectiveness of GHG reduction strategies.

Because GHG does not respect local, regional, state, federal or international boundaries, these systems must easily deploy around the world and provide seamless communication.

In terms of technology, the Internet is the only platform that provides the flexibility, scale, and ease of deployment suited to meet this demanding measurement challenge.

--Larry Goldenhersh is president and CEO of Enviance at www.Enviance.com

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