California is leading the charge toward a greener future by planning to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. This policy, spearheaded by California’s Air Resources Board (CARB), aims to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) like electric and hydrogen-powered cars. If successful, California could set […]
Tag: Carbon
20 Strategies for Decarbonizing Your Business
According to Accenture’s “Destination Net Zero” report, levers like Energy Efficiency and Waste Reduction saw only small upticks in adoption, while Materials Sourcing and Employee Incentives rose as “lever leaders”.
What are Power Purchase Agreements, anyway?
This article provides a general overview of on-site versus offsite power and physical versus virtual power purchase agreements, also known as PPAs. On-Site Versus Offsite Power Put simply, on-site power and off-site power refer to where your energy comes from and how it’s delivered to you. On-Site Power Example: A factory installing its own solar […]
Carbon and Climate: Understanding the Greenhouse Effect and Fossil Fuels
The carbon cycle, the greenhouse effect, the origin of fossil fuels, and how carbon affects nearly everything on Earth. The Carbon Cycle The carbon cycle is nature’s way of keeping carbon moving—cycling it from the atmosphere to the earth and back again. On earth, carbon is stored in rocks, sediments, the ocean, and in living […]
10 FREE Sustainability-Related Courses offered by the United Nations
1. Net Zero 101: What, Why and How Link: https://unccelearn.org/course/view.php?id=185&page=overview Description Have you ever heard about “net zero”? From governments to companies, net zero has often been mentioned as an important climate goal. But what does this concept really mean? Understanding net zero requires understanding many climate science terminologies, and this course breaks down the […]
Identifying and Calculating Scope 1 and 2 Emissions
Introduction You’ve decided to create a GHG inventory within your organization. Great! You’ve set your organizational and operational boundaries, selected your consolidation approach (equity share, financial control, or operational control), chosen a baseline year, and set up measures to mitigate double counting. Now what? The following steps will help you identify and calculate your organization’s […]
Market and Location-Based Electricity Emission Factors
Introduction When setting up a GHG inventory, there are several choices of activity data and emission factors used for calculating emissions from purchases of electricity, steam, heat, and cooling (i.e. scope 2). The primary piece of data needed to quantify scope 2 emissions is the amount of electricity purchased. This information can be found in […]
Establishing Boundaries for a GHG Inventory
Introduction After you’ve secured organization support, and before you start collecting emissions data, you’ll need to establish clear boundaries for your greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The inventory will provide the foundation for your company’s climate change strategy by enabling you to identify reduction opportunities, set reduction targets, and track progress over time. When developing a […]
Scope 1 Summary of the EPA’s Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator
Reporting Programs and Requirements The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) is a federal emissions reporting program which requires high-emitting companies to account for and report emissions at the facility level. Under the GHGRP, facilities emitting over 25,000 MT CO2e per year are required to report their emissions. Approximately 8,000 U.S. […]
Understanding Your Utility Bill: Electricity Delivery, Supply, and Demand
Most electric bills are split into two main types of charges: delivery and supply. Delivery charges cover the cost of transporting electricity from the power plant to your home or business, including maintaining the power lines and infrastructure. Supply charges are for the actual electricity you consume, paying for the production of the electricity itself. […]