Ecometrica Press is a web-based publisher providing fact sheets, summary papers and technical papers on climate change, GHG assessment and land-use change
Date: March, 2012
An economy class one‐way ticket from London to Kuala Lumpur will emit approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), based on the most recent emission factors released by Defra (Defra 2011). Continue reading
Date: February, 2012
The leading standards for attributional life cycle assessment, such as the PAS 2050 (BSI 2011) and the WBCSD/WRI product accounting standard (WBCSD/WRI 2011a), allow the use of a method called “substitution” or “system expansion”. This summary paper briefly explains the “substitution” method and why it creates problems for attributional life cycle assessment. Continue reading
Date: February, 2012
Electricity consumption is often one of the largest sources of emissions within corporate greenhouse gas inventories, and it is therefore important to report these emissions correctly. This paper sets out how to correctly report the emissions associated with purchased electricity, and briefly notes some cases where providers of reporting/measurement guidance have got it wrong. Continue reading
Date: December, 2011
The uncertainty assessment in Our Impacts gives an indication of the relative uncertainty associated with activity data (depending on whether the data is actual or estimated) and the emission or conversion factors (depending on whether the factors have more or fewer built-in assumptions), and can be used to reduce uncertainty by encouraging reporting companies to improve the type and quality of data collected. Continue reading
Date: November, 2011
This paper sets out how an element of organisational biodiversity impact can be assessed and ranked using a tool called the Normative Biodiversity Metric (NBM). Continue reading
Date: September, 2011
Date: September, 2011
This paper presents a methodology and results for electricity-specific emission factors based on alternative data available from the IEA. The paper also provides a discussion of the reasons for the differences between the IEA composite electricity/heat factors and the new electricity-specific factors. Continue reading
Date: August, 2011
This short Ecometrica fact sheet outlines the carbon intensity of the most popular modes of transport in the UK, using the new 2011 Defra emission factors – with some results that you might not expect! Continue reading
Date: July, 2011
In its broadest sense the rebound effect occurs when some pro-environmental activity results, directly or indirectly, in some environmental harm which partly or wholly cancels out the initial environmental benefit. This new Ecometrica paper explains the rebound effect in more detail, and discusses how it can be minimised. Continue reading
Date: June, 2011
At Ecometrica we are often asked, “How many trees do you need to store one tonne of carbon?” The amount of carbon stored by a tree depends on its size, which is influenced by many factors – the species, the local conditions and the way it is managed. In an attempt to find a simple answer to this question we tracked down a tree that stored exactly one tonne of carbon. Here we describe that tree and how we estimated its carbon content. Continue reading
Date: April, 2011
Green business reports, articles and even government programmes, such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC), often bundle greenhouse gas (or carbon) management together with energy efficiency. This simplification should be avoided for the following reasons… Continue reading
Date: March, 2011
We all know that an electric vehicle has zero tailpipe emissions and the popular counter argument is usually “what about the emissions at the power station”? This Ecometrica paper answers that question by presenting a definitive figure in gCO2/km for UK electric cars when CO2 emissions at the power station are taken into account. Continue reading
Date: February, 2011
Carbon reporting is likely to become a standard feature of company annual Directors’ Reports, either on a voluntary or mandatory basis. In the UK, the Climate Change Act (2008) tasks the government with introducing mandatory greenhouse reporting in Directors’ Reports. This paper sets out how greenhouse gas emissions can be included in company annual reporting, and how the financial liabilities associated with greenhouse gas emissions can be shown in a company’s balance sheet. Continue reading
Date: August, 2010
Is the CRC, while encouraging energy efficiency, a flawed scheme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Ecometrica’s Dr. Richard Tipper thinks so… Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Is Searchinger’s latest input to the biofuel debate an insightful contribution or confused thinking? See Matt Brander’s analysis. Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The carbon intensity (typically measured in kilograms of CO2 per passenger kilometre) of travel mode varies dramatically so the business travel choices made by an organisation can have a significant impact on its organisational carbon footprint. For example if a … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The carbon intensity (typically measured in kilograms of CO2e per tonne kilometre) of freight mode varies dramatically so the freight mode choices that an organisation makes can have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of its products. For example … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Why assess the Carbon Footprint of pulp and paper? Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Why assess the Carbon Footprint of apparel? Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Why assess the Carbon Footprint of an event? To identify key emissions reduction opportunities To communicate the carbon footprint of the event to delegates or the general public To offset the emissions associated with the event or allow delegates the … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Why assess the Carbon Footprint of hotels? Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
As companies become more aware of their carbon footprint many are seeking ways to implement reductions in the greenhouse gas impact of their operations. Business travel can make up a significant portion of the corporate carbon footprint, and it is … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
There has been confusion about whether purchasing green tariff electricity entitles the purchaser to claim zero or low emissions from their electricity consumption. This briefing note explains why, for the purposes of greenhouse emissions reporting, green tariffs generally do not … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The EU has taken a decision to improve and extend the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The European Commission proposed a series of changes to the ETS, which were agreed by EU member states – though with some significant amendments … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
A summary by Ecometrica of the UK Climate Change Act that became law on 26 November 2008. Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
On 2 February 2009, Directive 2008/101/C formally brought aviation into the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Aviation activities will be included in the EU ETS from 1 January 2012, although aircraft operators will have to submit benchmarking plans by … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a regional cooperative established in 2003 by states and provinces in the Northeastern United States and Canada to reduce GHG emissions. Current member are the US states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The Voluntary Challenge and Registry (VCR) is a government‐funded program that encourages organizations in the public and private sectors to voluntarily limit and reduce GHG emissions, and report annually on emission totals and reduction measures. The VCR was highlighted as … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
The additionality of projects is crucial to the integrity of the Clean Development Mechanism. The CDM tool for additionality produces binary outcomes; projects either pass or fail. This paper uses ΔIRR (the difference between a project’s IRR with and without … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Investment Additionality in the CDM – Appendix Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Recent estimates of indirect land use change impacts associated with biofuel expansion have used forward-casting models to predict the effects of changes in feedstock use upon agricultural commodity markets and land use decisions. The predictive reliability of such models is … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
Policies for supporting biofuels, such as the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive RED, the Renewable Fuel Standard in the US, and the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), require life cycle carbon reporting to ensure that biofuels achieve greenhouse gas reductions … Continue reading
Date: July, 2010
There has been a fierce debate about the benefits of ‘carbon offsetting’ and the associated term ‘carbon neutral’. This paper does not seek to add to this polarised discussion, instead we seek to describe an emerging trend which we call … Continue reading
Date: November, 2008
A carbon footprint is “the total set of GHG emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, event or product” (Carbon Trust 2008). For example, the carbon footprint of flying from London to New York is 0.68 tonnes of … Continue reading
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