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What is a Carbon Footprint? An overview of definitions and methodologies
... The selection of the measurement units (i.e. mass units or area units) is also important as it is necessary to be standard; otherwise any comparisons won't be attainable (Wiedmann & Minx, 2008;East, 2008). Wiedmann & Minx (2008) proposed the following definition: "The carbon footprint is a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is accumulated over the life stages of a product". ...
... As far as it concerns the system's boundaries, they point out that the analysis must include all the processes, i.e. raw materials, production, transportation, distribution and utilization, and that attention must be paid to avoid double-or undercounting of emissions (Wiedmann & Minx, 2008). A.J. East (2008) gave another definition of CF: "A direct measure of greenhouse gas emissions (expressed in tons of carbon dioxide [CO2] equivalents) caused by a defined activity. At a minimum this measurement includes emissions resulting from activities within the control or ownership of the emitter and indirect emissions resulting from the use of purchased electricity". ...
... At a minimum this measurement includes emissions resulting from activities within the control or ownership of the emitter and indirect emissions resulting from the use of purchased electricity". He also names the term carbon footprint as a "buzz word" because it became very popular and very quickly, despite the lack of a fixed definition (East, 2008). According to Quack et al. (2010), carbon footprint "describes the sum of greenhouse gas emissions accumulated during the full life cycle of a product (good or service) in a specified application". ...
The interest of present study lies on the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that are generated throughout the supply chain. It has been proven by numerous studies that the anthropogenic activities generate GHG emissions, and actions can be undertaken to mitigate the problem, and the impact of them on the market. This study addresses the issue of the accurate calculation of the so-called Carbon Footprint of an enterprise. During their research, the authors point out the ways that enterprises could avail from it, and how Carbon Footprint influences the purchases. It is evident, though, that there is still much work to be done concerning measuring Carbon Footprint, since common guidelines and standards used are being developed in global scale. This study recommends that empirical studies need to be made in order to inquire into the cost-benefit analysis of implementing a Carbon Footprint calculation.
... According to this concept, carbon footprint refers to the land area required to assimilate the entire CO 2 produced by the mankind during its lifetime. In due course of time as the global warming issue took prominence in the world environmental agenda, use of carbon footprint became common independently, although in a modified form (East 2008). The concept of carbon footprinting has been in use since several decades but known differently as life cycle impact category indicator global warming potential (Finkbeiner 2009). ...
... There are few studies that report carbon footprint in terms of global hectares notwithstanding the modern nexus about it (Browne et al. 2009 ). Besides its widespread favorable public reputation as an indicator of contribution of an entity to the global warming, there are confusions over what it exactly means (Wiedmann and Minx 2007; East 2008; Finkbeiner 2009; Peters 2010). It is also remarked that the scientific literature on the subject is scarce and the most studies have been carried out by private organizations and companies predominantly due to their business sense rather than their environmental responsibility (Kleiner 2007; Wiedmann and Minx 2007; East 2008). ...
... Besides its widespread favorable public reputation as an indicator of contribution of an entity to the global warming, there are confusions over what it exactly means (Wiedmann and Minx 2007; East 2008; Finkbeiner 2009; Peters 2010). It is also remarked that the scientific literature on the subject is scarce and the most studies have been carried out by private organizations and companies predominantly due to their business sense rather than their environmental responsibility (Kleiner 2007; Wiedmann and Minx 2007; East 2008). Other terms used associated or sometimes as a synonym of carbon footprint in the available literature are embodied carbon, carbon content, embedded carbon, carbon flows, virtual carbon, GHG footprint, and climate footprint (Wiedmann and Minx 2007; Courchene and Allan 2008; Edgar and Peters 2009; Peters 2010). ...
Increasing greenhouse gaseous concentration in the atmosphere is perturbing the environment to cause grievous global warming and associated consequences. Following the rule that only measurable is manageable, mensuration of greenhouse gas intensiveness of different products, bodies, and processes is going on worldwide, expressed as their carbon footprints. The methodologies for carbon footprint calculations are still evolving and it is emerging as an important tool for greenhouse gas management. The concept of carbon footprinting has permeated and is being commercialized in all the areas of life and economy, but there is little coherence in definitions and calculations of carbon footprints among the studies. There are disagreements in the selection of gases, and the order of emissions to be covered in footprint calculations. Standards of greenhouse gas accounting are the common resources used in footprint calculations, although there is no mandatory provision of footprint verification. Carbon footprinting is intended to be a tool to guide the relevant emission cuts and verifications, its standardization at international level are therefore necessary. Present review describes the prevailing carbon footprinting methods and raises the related issues.
... A carbon footprint serves as a metric to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to a particular activity. Typically, it focuses on processes and practices associated with the release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (Growcom, 2008). Calculating the carbon footprint involves combining activity data (AD), representing human activities, with emission factors (EF), which quantify emissions or removals per unit of activity (IPCC, 2006). ...
... Direct carbon dioxide emissions are emissions directly related to the energy use of an activity, while indirect carbon dioxide emissions are carbon dioxide emissions caused by energy consumption during production. The meter measures greenhouse gas emissions (CO 2 equivalents) in carbon dioxide equivalents (East, 2008). The consumption figure (CFP) visualises the effect of international trade and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions. ...
Carbon footprint is used as a standard approach for quantifying the total amount of greenhouse gases released from diverse sources responsible for global warming. It is crucial to understand the exact amount of greenhouse gases that each individual, product, and activity contributes. Large scale scientific studies have been conducted globally to create efficient techniques to determine the carbon footprint of various entities. Those approaches and methods developed for calculating carbon footprints are frequently questioned over efficiency and inclusiveness. This article is based on a review of existing literature on methodologies for carbon footprint assessment in different sectors, with a special emphasis on household carbon footprints. Methodologies under three approaches, viz., statistical, environmental, and econometrics, are considered for the review. The study follows a systematic review framework (Hilary Arksey and Lisa O’Malley framework) and takes into consideration as many as 102 articles for the final review. Some of the main uncertainties surrounding the foundations of the current approaches are data gaps, item exclusions, repetition of the same emissions in multiple forms, and no (or minimal scientific validation of) conversion factors for some less prominent activities and consumables. Local environmental settings, climate, food habits, cultural norms and other socioeconomic conditions have prominent roles as determinants of the carbon footprint of households. To find the action points for reducing emissions, it is essential to cover the diversity of these factors in micro-level spatially explicit mapping of household carbon footprints. This paper provides an outline of a carbon footprint assessment methodology for Indian households with a bottom-up approach using extensive primary data. The development of a comprehensive set of emission intensity data is recommended for carbon footprint calculations for Indian households, where the data collection can be part of larger national surveys with finer disaggregation. The findings and discussion in this article are expected to offer further scientific discussion on efficient carbon footprint assessments and insights for policymakers on emission estimations and climate change mitigation plans.
... The carbon footprint of a designed building (the total greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of the building) is one of the tools that can be used to check the impact of human activities on the environment. The carbon footprint includes the estimated total, direct, and indirect emission of greenhouse gases caused by a specific activity or action measured as the carbon dioxide equivalent [10]. It is typically calculated per reference unit, such as per building or per square meter of the building floor area. ...
The construction sector is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions and a major consumer of non-renewable resources. Architectural design decisions play a critical role in a building’s carbon footprint, making it essential to incorporate environmental analyses at various design stages. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and building information modeling (BIM) can support designers in achieving low-carbon architectural design. The proposed solution involves the development of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool. This study presents a novel approach to optimizing the environmental impact of architectural projects. It combines machine learning (ML), large language models (LLMs), and building information modeling (BIM) technologies. The first case studies present specific examples of tools developed for this purpose. The first case study details a machine learning-assisted tool used for estimating carbon footprints during the design phase and shows numerical carbon footprint optimization results. The second case study explores the use of LLMs, specifically ChatGPT, as virtual assistants to suggest optimizations in architectural design and shows tests on the suggestions made by the LLM. The third case study discusses integrating BIM in the form of an IFC file, carbon footprint analysis, and AI into a comprehensive 3D application, emphasizing the importance of AI in enhancing decision-making processes in architectural design.
... The carbon footprint measures carbon dioxide emissions or greenhouse gas emissions in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents [17]. The definition of carbon footprint has yet to be defined in a uniform concept internationally. ...
With the increasing contribution of household carbon footprint to the global carbon footprint, household carbon footprint as a critical component of future carbon reduction has become a research hotspot to mitigate global warming and maintain sustainable economic development. The Web of Science (WOS) database is the literature data source. The literature on household carbon footprint is analyzed with the help of the visualization software CiteSpace. The collected data are analyzed using bibliometric analysis tools for knowledge base analysis, cooperative network analysis, and knowledge evolution analysis to grasp the developmental pulse of household carbon footprint. The findings show that the co-citation analysis reveals that household carbon footprint research has a clear knowledge base and shows a clear trend over time. The classic literature lays the foundation for subsequent diversified and interdisciplinary articles. The subsequent research hotspots show apparent inheritance and development characteristics, with many diversified and interdisciplinary studies appearing after 2008. Based on the three-level cooperation network analysis, household carbon footprint research has a clear structure of research cooperation network. Cross-institution and cross-country articles collaborate frequently; most authors tend to co-author articles, and there are still a small number of authors who write independently, among which China, Chinese institutions, and Chinese authors make significant contributions. Developed countries represented by the U.S. have chosen cross-region cooperation at the macro level through multifaceted research. The co-word and journal overlay analyses reveal that household carbon footprint research encompasses various research topics. The apparent shift of keywords within each research phase directly proves that household carbon footprint research is gradually developing into an interdisciplinary and diversified homogeneous field. This paper analyzes the evolution of household carbon footprint in detail and composes the basic knowledge which can provide a reliable reference for subsequent scholars.
... Standards determined by international agreements such as the Kyoto protocol play an important role in including more than one greenhouse gas in the emission calculation. This will reduce confusion and increase confidence in greenhouse gas and carbon footprint reports (East, 2008). ...
As major oil and gas companies have been investing in renewable energy, renewable energy has been part of the oil and gas industry in the last decade. Originally, renewables were seen as a competing form of energy source as a threat that may replace or decrease the share of fossil fuels as an alternative energy resource in the US and developed countries. However, oil and gas industry has adapted to the wind of change and has started investing and utilizing the renewable sources of energy significantly. In this perspective, this study investigates and outlines the latest advances, technologies, potential of renewables both as an alternative and a complementary source of energy in the world n the current supply and demand dynamics of oil and gas resources.
A comprehensive literature review focusing on the recent developments and findings in the renewable resources along with the availability of the renewable energy and locations are outlined and discussed under the current dynamics of the oil and gas market and resources. Literature review includes a broad spectrum that spans from technical petroleum literature with very comprehensive research using SCOPUS database to non-technical but renowned resources including journals and other publications including raw data as well as forecasts and opinions of respected experts. The raw data and expert opinions are organized, summarized and outlined in a temporal way within its category for the respective energy source.
Not only the facts and information are outlined for the individual type of energy resource but also the relationship between the forms of energy resources are discussed from a perspective of their roles either as a competing or a complementary source to oil and gas. In this sense, this study goes beyond only providing raw data or facts about the energy resources but also a thorough publication that provides the oil and gas industry professional with a clear image of the past, present and the expected near future of the oil and gas industry as it stands with respect to renewable energy resources.
Among the few existing studies that shed light on the current status of the oil and gas industry facing the development of the renewable energy are up-to-date and the existing studies within SPE domain focus on facts only lacking the interrelationship between the individual form of renewable energy and oil and gas such as solar energy used in oil and gas fields as a complementary renewable energy.
... Carbon Footprint (CF) is often seen as a quantified measure of greenhouse gas emissions that occurred throughout the lifecycle of any product or organization, or person. A higher CF is viewed as unsustainable [1]. Rather than focussing on just conservation of the environment, we will have to shift the attention to adaptation and strengthening resilience in socialecological systems. ...
Sources of knowledge about environmental education are bounded to textbooks, documentaries, animated videos, and a few games for school children. However, it was observed that children's knowledge about Carbon Footprint (CF) and its implications was very limited. To address the gap in the connection of the users with the outcomes of their actions, another mode of awareness through digital games has been used for some time. These games have a simpler means of conveying complex topics in an interactive way which has been employed to teach topics such as sustainability to the users. Existing games help justify most addressed issues in the conventional methods but are still a step behind in making adequate personalized and usable connections with the users which are mainly adults. Carbon Warrior is an interactive application for school children to help users learn about CF and its impact on sustainability. This study has focused on validating the usability of game elements of Carbon Warrior. The users appreciated the elements of the game encouraging the further extension of the work.
... The issue of global warming is essential, as well as the CF and WF of products [17,[55][56][57]. Wiedmann and Minx [58] recognized that the definitions of CF differ between researchers. ...
Agroecosystem energy analysis is a useful tool for tracking some of the measures taken in the agricultural sector to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve the Paris Agreement climate targets. The objectives of this study were to (a) determine differences in energy inputs among tomato farming systems (greenhouse, open-field, and hydroponic), (b) group tomato farms according to energy productivity, energy efficiency, and carbon and blue water footprints, and (c) compare the carbon and blue water footprints of farming systems. Twenty farms (ten open-field and ten greenhouse farms) were selected via proportional stratified random sampling from the municipalities of Volvi and Lagkadas in northern Greece for study during 2015–2016, and one hydroponic farm (the “gold standard”) in the prefecture of Imathia in northern Greece was chosen for study during the same period. A combination of univariate and multivariate statistical methods was applied. Previously unrevealed similarities between farming systems were demonstrated by applying hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) with energy productivity, energy efficiency, carbon footprint, and blue water footprint as variables. HCA indicated that seven of the ten greenhouse farms and the hydroponic farm were in the same cluster. The energy productivity and energy efficiency were highest for the hydroponic farm and statistically significantly higher in the greenhouse farms than in the open-field farms. The hydroponic farm had the smallest carbon footprint, while the greenhouse farms had the smallest blue water footprints. The greenhouses used statistically significantly less fuel, fertilizers, herbicides, stringing, and total energy than the open-field farms. The most important energy inputs were irrigation, fuel, and fertilizers for the open-field farms and greenhouses, and electricity and fertilizers for the hydroponic farm. Overall, the hydroponic system was found to be the most environmentally friendly. The above agrienvironmental indices may be useful to decision makers attempting to regulate the fragile balance between climate change and agricultural production.
... One of the kind of policies is promotion of carbon label (CL) on various products that can be used to monitor the total greenhouse gas emission level in certain products [4,5]. Carbon label or carbon emission label describes the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission released throughout the life-cycle of a product or service (carbon footprint certification) by manufacturing [6]. Carbon label was firstly introduced in 2007 when British retailer Tesco decided to label its products with CO 2 emission information during its manufacturing and transportation [7,8]. ...
In view of global warming issues, the Taiwan government has implemented environmental-related policies and measures for sustainable development through promoting "carbon labeling" in recent years. Many studies related to carbon labeling have been conducted after its promotion, but the studies on the relationship of subjective knowledge or perceived knowledge on carbon labeling, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), and willingness to buy the products are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship of subjective knowledge on carbon labeling, consumer perception, and willingness to buy carbon label products, with a case study of packaged tea products in Taiwan. The respondents were Taiwanese adults aged 18 years old and over, who have experience of buying packaged tea. The research was conducted by survey method using non-probability sampling method at convenience retail stores i.e., 7-Eleven and Family Mart. The result showed that (1) the consumers with high subjective knowledge have high willingness to purchase packaged tea products with carbon labels, consumers with high PCE have high subjective knowledge of carbon labeling, and consumers with high PCE have high willingness to buy carbon-labeled packaged tea products; (2) there is a positive linear relationship of subjective knowledge and PCE toward purchase intention of carbon label; and (3) a significant positive correlation between subjective knowledge, PCE, and willingness to buy packaged tea beverage products with carbon labels for the female respondents.
... The issue of global warming is essential, as well as the CF and WF of products [17,[55][56][57]. Wiedmann and Minx [58] recognized that the definitions of CF differ between researchers. ...
Agriculture accounts for 5% of the entire energy used worldwide. Most of it is not in a renewable form, so it can be linked to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Paris Agreement, on climate change, one of its major targets is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the agricultural production process must drastically change. Currently, the sustainable use of water is critical for any agricultural development. Agricultural production effects water quality and sufficiency, as well as, freshwater wetlands. Energy balance, carbon, and water footprint are crucial for sustainable agricultural production. Agroforestry systems are important in reducing high inputs of non-renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions, along with better water use, leading to the most minimal influence on climate change. Energy analysis, carbon, and water footprint can be applied to agroforestry systems’ production. An outline could be applied by adopting a modified—for agricultural production—life cycle assessment methodology to assess energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption in agroforestry ecosystems.
Built environment contributes significantly to social and economic development, but it is also resource intensive. It is therefore one of the main producers of emissions and carbon footprint. Choosing building designs with a long service life is the key to resolving environmental problems. In this paper, the life cycle of a residential building is evaluated to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and costs associated with the construction, use and disposal of the building. Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing methods were used to evaluate the environmental and financial impact of the residential building. The system boundaries were defined as “Cradle to Grave” and a lifetime of 60 years. The calculation showed that the building emitted 843 tons of CO 2e , or 19.8 kg CO 2e /m ² /year, and the life cycle costs were 2 026 €/m ² . Considering the phases considered, the energy consumption phase (B6) caused the highest CO 2e emissions, up to 50.1%.
Objective
To review the international literature and assess the ways healthcare systems are mitigating and can mitigate their carbon footprint, which is currently estimated to be more than 4.4% of global emissions.
Design
Systematic review of empirical studies and grey literature to examine how healthcare services and institutions are limiting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Data sources
Eight databases and authoritative reports were searched from inception dates to November 2023.
Eligibility criteria for selecting studies
Teams of investigators screened relevant publications against the inclusion criteria (eg, in English; discussed impact of healthcare systems on climate change), applying four quality appraisal tools, and results are reported in accordance with PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses).
Results
Of 33 737 publications identified, 32 998 (97.8%) were excluded after title and abstract screening; 536 (72.5%) of the remaining publications were excluded after full text review. Two additional papers were identified, screened, and included through backward citation tracking. The 205 included studies applied empirical (n=88, 42.9%), review (n=60, 29.3%), narrative descriptive (n=53, 25.9%), and multiple (n=4, 2.0%) methods. More than half of the publications (51.5%) addressed the macro level of the healthcare system. Nine themes were identified using inductive analysis: changing clinical and surgical practices (n=107); enacting policies and governance (n=97); managing physical waste (n=83); changing organisational behaviour (n=76); actions of individuals and groups (eg, advocacy, community involvement; n=74); minimising travel and transportation (n=70); using tools for measuring GHG emissions (n=70); reducing emissions related to infrastructure (n=63); and decarbonising the supply chain (n=48).
Conclusions
Publications presented various strategies and tactics to reduce GHG emissions. These included changing clinical and surgical practices; using policies such as benchmarking and reporting at a facility level, and financial levers to reduce emissions from procurement; reducing physical waste; changing organisational culture through workforce training; supporting education on the benefits of decarbonisation; and involving patients in care planning. Numerous tools and frameworks were presented for measuring GHG emissions, but implementation and evaluation of the sustainability of initiatives were largely missing. At the macro level, decarbonisation approaches focused on energy grid emissions, infrastructure efficiency, and reducing supply chain emissions, including those from agriculture and supply of food products. Decarbonisation mechanisms at the micro and meso system levels ranged from reducing low value care, to choosing lower GHG options (eg, anaesthetic gases, rescue inhalers), to reducing travel. Based on these strategies and tactics, this study provides a framework to support the decarbonisation of healthcare systems.
Systematic review registration
PROSPERO: CRD42022383719.
Climate change has been visible through observed deterioration in the environment. Despite the different mitigation policies, greenhouse gas emission growth have increased over the last decade. Undeniably, war and conflict have the potential to further exacerbate inequalities and put major stress on meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Despite the civil war in Syria entering its 10th year, carbon emissions have declined by 1.5 percent from 2015 due to the economic slowdown, which resulted in approximately 13 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance. As a consequence of the protracted crisis, families have suffered significant losses of assets and income generation opportunities, in both rural and urban areas, which has increased the vulnerability of the land, fostered illegal over-pumping of irrigation water, and poverty of the population in South Syria. Investing in renewable energy, such as installing solar panels to pump water for irrigation, or operating medium-small factories, can help communities in coping with the impact of climate change including drought, hence improving their resilience. The research investigated the current humanitarian initiatives on solar panels, at a small scale of households and industrial uses as a twin-track approach, for humanitarian, development, and peace nexus. This process helps in laying the basis for climate change resilience and combatting land desertification.
The dissertation entitled "Digital methods of supporting architectural design process -
and the analysis of the carbon footprint of buildings" concerns the current issues of shaping sustainable and climate-neutral architecture.
In the theoretical part, the author, through literature research, analyzes the issues of
carbon footprint and climate change in the context of architectural design. A method of
assessing the carbon footprint of buildings is described, based on the analysis of individual design decisions affecting its level. Individual design decisions are discussed and analyzed on the basis of the author's own experience and conducted research. Next, the author presents methods of supporting the integrated design process, which are based on the use of algorithms and machine learning, in the context of using them to reduce the carbon footprint of a building during the design process. In the experimental part, the author conducts a series of studies aimed at creating a tool supporting the architect's design process in terms of optimizing the carbon footprint of the designed building. In subsequent experiments, the author looks for ways to increasingly automate and accelerate the process of optimizing the carbon footprint of the designed building. The methods analyzed include spreadsheets, genetic algorithms and machine learning. The author bases the final tool on the use of machine learning, which makes it possible to estimate the result without conducting simulations. As a result, a method is developed that allows to predict the carbon footprint of a building at an early, conceptual stage of the design process. The author also carries out the full process of preparing such a tool - from creating a neural network architecture, through conducting own simulations to prepare a set of training data, then through the process of training the machine learning model, to using the trained model in the process of predicting the result and using it in an exemplary design process. The final part of the work presents the test record of the developed tool on the example of a conceptual design and the optimization of the carbon footprint of the building. The dissertation ends with a summary and conclusions describing the benefits of using digital design tools.
Carbon footprint (CF) is nowadays one of the most widely used environmental indicators and calculations of CF have been recently in very high demand. Many approaches, methodologies and tools, from simplified online calculators to other more scientific and complex life-cycle based methods, have been developed and are available for estimations. CF evaluations are, in general, focused on products and organizations, but calculation approach have been developed also for specific themes/sectors, such as for instance cities, individuals, households, farms, etc. This chapter is aimed at giving an updated and comprehensive overview on the concept of CF, and also on methodologies, technical standards, protocols and tools for its calculation. Attention is focused on the two main and usual scopes of CF assessment, i.e. products and organizations, but also on other relevant specific study subjects, also discussing methodological differences and issues.
Преходът към икономика с ниска въглеродна интензивност налага търсене на решения за повишаване на енергийната ефективност и редуциране на генерираните парникови газове. Тези въпроси засягат и веригите за доставка, тъй като логистичните дейности са енергоемки и се отразяват негативно върху околната среда, посредством приноса си към промените в климата. Настоящата статия си поставя за цел да разкрие някои устойчиви логистични практики за намаляване на въглеродния отпечатък във веригите на доставките в България, да установи дали се измерва ефектът от тяхното прилагане и на тази база да идентифицира области за продължаване на изследванията в областта. Представените устойчиви логистични практики са изучени въз основа на данни от интернет сайтове и онлайн медии, които са обработени с помощта на контент анализ. Резултатите от изследването показват, че българските организации вече прилагат практики за намаляване на въглеродния отпечатък във веригата на доставките – в отделни логистични дейности, фази и в цялата верига на доставките, а бизнес организациите с българско и чуждестранно участие в капитала осъзнават отговорността си към климатичните промени. Отделно от това се констатира необходимостта от по-широкото прилагане на адекватни методики и алгоритми за калкулиране на спестените въглеродни емисии. Въз основа на резултатите от изследването са осигурени препоръки към две групи заинтересовани страни – бизнес организациите и научната общност. Идентифицирани са направления за провеждане на бъдещи изследвания и са представени подходящи методи за тяхното провеждане.
This chapter examines the effect the rise in voluntary action is having when addressing climate change, particularly regarding the demand for ‘green’, low-carbon and carbon-neutral products. Issues around ‘greenwashing’ and the reliability of carbon claims are discussed. Various definitions of carbon neutrality are provided along with a discussion of the key issues that need to be considered when making carbon claims. Offsets are also examined, as they form an integral part of achieving carbon neutrality, and are the reason for the significant growth in the voluntary carbon market.
This study simulated the potential power produced from an energy harvesting system associated in a speed breaker. The chosen study area is the capital of Maldives, Male' City which is a densely populated area. Heavy traffic flow was observed and has required for traffic breakers to control the traffic flow velocity. The objectives of this study were to identify an eligible energy harvesting mechanisms as the Maldivian government announced its intentions to achieve carbon neutrality status by year 2020, and to simulate the potential power which could be produced from the identified energy harvesting device. The potential power produced was calculated based on vehicle specifications and traffic flow statistics. The potential power produced was then compared with its respective potential monetary value, carbon emissions saved, and amount fuel saved for speed breaker application. The estimated monetary values of the potential power produced per week was 6,682 US Dollars, while saving 16,590.7 kg of potential carbon emission from being released to the atmosphere, from a single energy harvesting breaker located in a similar traffic flow characteristics as used in this study.
The aim of this paper is to estimate the amount of
carbon footprints emitted from diesel generators in terms of
carbon dioxide. A constant load demand of 1.05 kW per hour
(6.3 kW/day) with six hours of operation of a diesel generator
per day was selected for this analysis. The fuel consumption
rate and carbon footprints in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2)
were determined. It was discovered that emission of carbon
footprints increased by five folds as emission factor was
increased from 1kg to 5 kgCO2/liter. Similarly, the increment of
a single kW rated power diesel generator at a constant emission
factor increases 1.1 to 1.2 times carbon footprint emissions. It is
revealed that the efficiency of diesel generator is inversely
proportional to its rated power, fuel consumption rate and CO2
emissions. Therefore, the rated power of selected diesel
generator should be close to the required load demand.
Purpose – Climate change and carbon footprints are among the most urgent concerns facing society and are key issues of corporate responsibility. The purpose of this study is to assess whether Australian companies have adjusted their footprint-related disclosure responses. Adopting a legitimacy perspective, a key aim is to assess whether pragmatic or moral legitimation approaches dominate by determining whether disclosure tends to be more reflective of symbolism or of apparent behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of the sustainability and annual reports of the ASX's Top 50 companies is undertaken to compare carbon footprint-related disclosures in 2008 and 2005. Their extent and nature (action or symbolism) and the use of attention-attracting devices are reported for the more carbon intensive and less carbon intensive sectors. Findings – Footprint-related disclosure rates are increasing, and disclosure is being signalled more prominently. However, while carbon-intensive sectors appear to be pursuing a moral legitimation strategy underpinned by substantive action, the less intensive sectors are relying more heavily on symbolic disclosure. Research limitations/implications – The sample size is small and comprises only large listed Australian companies. Practical implications – While the carbon-intensive sectors appear to be taking encouraging actions, a regulatory response may be required for the less carbon-intensive sectors to take advantage of their market power to facilitate cooperative carbon reduction with broader constituent groups. Further, incentives for the carbon-intensive sectors may be needed to encourage ongoing efforts to bridge the carbon chasm that is emerging. Originality/value – This study appears to be the first to provide direct Australian evidence on favoured legitimation tactics by assessing the symbolic versus behavioural management implicit in carbon footprint-related disclosures.
Calculating product carbon footprints (PCF) is a central function of Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS). Collecting accurate data for EMIS in general and PCF in particular is a critical issue. Nowadays, emission data of transportation processes are mostly based on averages and estimations, as data on actual emissions of transportation processes are costly to collect. In this paper, we propose a cost-efficient system for real-time data gathering for PCF in transportation processes based on vehicle on-board systems and smartphones. We present the system architecture, outline the application logic and - based on a generic multi-echelon transportation network - we specify its application and integration into EMIS.
International attention to carbon dioxide emissions is turning to an individual's contribution, or “carbon footprint.” Calculators that estimate an individual's CO2 emissions have become more prevalent on the internet. Even with similar inputs, however, these calculators can generate varying results, often by as much as several metric tons per annum per individual activity. This paper examines the similarities and differences among ten US-based calculators. Overall, the calculators lack consistency, especially for estimates of CO2 emissions from household electricity consumption. In addition, most calculators lack information about their methods and estimates, which impedes comparison and validation. Although carbon calculators can promote public awareness of carbon emissions from individual behavior, this paper reveals the need for improved consistency and transparency in the calculators.
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