Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Use knowledge from previous lessons to be able to interpret data into the carbon footprint categories and format
- Understand how to use the MfE’s guidance document to calculate emissions
- Be able to use raw data, and convert it to a carbon footprint for a range of emissions which present themselves across industry
Video Duration: 25 minutes approximately
Lesson Notes
MfE’s Measuring Emissions Guide
- Guide for measuring emissions, published by the Ministry for Environment
- Includes emissions factors for a range of emissions sources across scopes
- Includes methodology for deriving these emissions factors
- Updated annually
For image see Reference Link 1.
GHG Inventory vs GHG Report
As defined by the MfE guidance document:
- GHG Inventory contains all applicable emissions for an organisation within a defined boundary during a set period. A GHG inventory is key to measuring emissions.
- GHG Report expands on the inventory with context about the organisation, methods used, as well as analysis of drivers and progress over time. A GHG report is key to reporting emissions.
Emissions Factors
Each emissions source has an associated UNIT, for example:
- Coal: kg
- Diesel: L
- Electricity: kWh
- Petrol/diesel/electric/hybrid vehicle: km
- Bus and plane: pkm
- Helicopter: hours
- Upstream and downstream shipping: tkm etc
Emissions Factors
- Example emissions factor from 2023 document, for employee’s personal petrol vehicles (which is part of Scope 3):
Calculating Emissions
E = emissions from the emissions source in: kg CO2-e (per year)
Q = activity data, e.g. quantity of fuel used: units (per year)
F = emission factor for emissions source: kg CO2-e (per unit)
Following are calculation examples from some example emissions sources, across the three emissions scopes.
Trucking Emissions Example:
- If the trucks are company-owned as in this example, they are scope 1 emissions
- If they are owned by a 3rd party, these emissions would become upstream/downstream transport, which falls under scope 3
Shipping Emissions Example 1:
Shipping Emissions Example 2:
Fleet Vehicle Emissions Example:
- If the vehicles are company-owned, fleet emissions are scope 1 under mobile combustion
Employee Commuting Emissions Example:
- Employee commuting falls under scope 3.
Purchased Electricity Emissions Example:
- Purchased electricity falls under scope 2
Stationary Emissions Example:
- Stationary combustion falls under scope 1
Overall Carbon Footprint
- All of the calculated emissions in CO2-e/year are added up to calculate the carbon footprint of the organisation for that particular year
- The overall emissions can be normalised (e.g. kgCO2-e/unit of product produced) in order to compare with a baseline year, if production has changed
- It is helpful to visualise the split between scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
- If one source of emissions is far bigger than the others, create plots excluding it, to see more detail
Conclusion
- Role of MfE’s emissions guidance document
- GHG inventories vs. GHG reports
- How to use emissions factors to calculate emissions
- How to manipulate raw data to be used alongside emissions factors
- Emissions calculation examples
- Overall company carbon footprint