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Carbon Management Must Be Realistic and Inclusive

By Daniel Stouffer

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 18Jun2010 Word count: 600 Viewed: 265 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

As we all become more acclimatized to the issue of carbon management, so we come to a growing realization that measurement and control of such gases will be far more complex than people might have initially realized. This realization is backed up by a recent study produced by the Carnegie Institution for Science, which estimated that as much as one third of carbon dioxide emissions related to goods and services that are bought and consumed in developed countries may be actually emitted outside of territorial borders.

Carbon management will not be effective unless it analyzes and seeks to control carbon emissions throughout the entire production and supply chain. This means that carbon associated with the product during its earliest stages of development must be taken into account and from a wider perspective, countries must look at the implications of purchasing a significant quantity of product internationally, while not being "effectively" responsible for production emissions.

As we all become more acclimatized to the issue of carbon management, so we come to a growing realization that measurement and control of such gases will be far more complex than people might have initially realized. This realization is backed up by a recent study produced by the Carnegie Institution for Science, which estimated that as much as one third of carbon dioxide emissions related to goods and services that are bought and consumed in developed countries may be actually emitted outside of territorial borders.

The Carnegie Institution for Science study reinforced the need for controversial policies like "cap and trade" to be reviewed, so that they take into account climate changing emissions that are evident when trading goods and services. It is becoming clear that more sophisticated carbon management tracking and software applications will be required, before truly accurate measurements can be asserted.

It has been concluded that fully 23% of all carbon dioxide related to fossil fuel production globally is emitted during the manufacturing production of goods destined for different countries. This means that the ultimate consumer of such goods is currently not directly held responsible for the emission of these greenhouse gases. Most carbon tracking schemes currently focus principally on "scope one" and "scope two" emissions, where companies directly track emissions related to their own energy use.

Most developed countries, including the United States, are "net" importers of carbon emissions. It is estimated that 6 gigatons of carbon are emitted during production of products that are consumed in countries other than that of manufacture.

Controversy reigns when it comes to carbon management and specifically measures to control and document these emissions. Many favor introduction of "cap and trade," in essence forcing companies to reduce their energy use and associated emissions due to an artificial ceiling and essential tax on emissions themselves. However, some are now calling for taxes on the importation of carbon intensive products, and therefore discouraging importation and protecting domestic industries from imports produced in countries that are not necessarily so "carbon aware."

We have seen Wal-Mart introduce a significant initiative to track emissions within their own supply chains. This very initiative is likely to have significant repercussions and to focus the attention of industry and government on supply-chain emissions. Carbon management systems will be crucial for organizations as they track not only "in-house" carbon emissions, but also those that occur beyond their immediate borders.

As an accord emerges from the recent Copenhagen Summit related to climate change, countries continue to debate legislative measures to help address carbon emissions. Carbon management software solutions are sure to be an integral part of this discussion and an answer to an organization's quest for sustainability.

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