GHG Emission InventoryĪ GHG inventory is a document that lists the quantities of GHG emissions from an entity – an organization – during a given period – usually a year. These principles will be applied to produce a carbon footprint report, either at an organizational level or at a product/service level.
CALCULATE CARBON FOOTPRINT HOW TO
To understand how to calculate a carbon footprint, you must understand some basic principles of carbon accounting. ORGANIZATIONAL CARBON FOOTPRINTS: HOW DO YOU CALCULATE IT To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050. According to a majority of scientists and studies, this would limit climate change and the harsh weather patterns and consequences associated with a warmer planet. The United Nations has a set a goal to keep earth’s global temperature from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius this century. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Other organizations prepare carbon footprint data for binding regulations that may be introduced in the future. For instance, consumers are asking for sustainable brands and in return, businesses are looking to green up their image.
Organizations may account for the carbon footprint of a given product or service, which would contribute to but be different from the carbon footprint of the business as a whole.Īt present, calculating a carbon footprint is completely voluntary, but has gained traction due to increasing stakeholder interest. In this sense, the scope covered in carbon footprinting can be vast. The aim is to inventory emissions for an entity or product during a given period.Ī carbon footprint is defined as a measure of the total GHG emissions caused directly or indirectly by a person, organization, product, or service. It’s for this reason that methods for quantifying carbon dioxide effluent have been developed. Colorless and odorless, this gas and other GHGs are imperceptible to our senses. WHAT EXACTLY IS A CARBON FOOTPRINT?Ĭarbon Dioxide, CO 2, bears the most responsibility for anthropogenic climate change. A business can then consider all the aspects of their business that produce carbon, including fossil fuels, land clearance and the production and consumption of food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation and other services.
Your carbon footprint can then be managed once understood. You’ll understand what products and processes emit g reenhouse gases (GHGs), including the carbon-containing gases carbon dioxide and methane. With this in mind, in this Green Business Bureau article, we get into the details of how a business’s carbon footprint is calculated.
You can also use it to determine the amount of carbon offsets to purchase in order to get to carbon neutral. Once you know your carbon footprint, you can measure the progress of your sustainability program and green initiatives by tracking the reduction of your carbon footprint. Businesses today need to know and understand their carbon footprint in order to make progress toward becoming a more sustainable and eco-friendly business.
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