{"id":7637,"date":"2023-01-12T15:56:40","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T13:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetrade.com\/?p=7637"},"modified":"2023-01-12T16:20:40","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:20:40","slug":"what-are-carbon-emissions-scopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetrade.com\/what-are-carbon-emissions-scopes\/","title":{"rendered":"What are carbon emissions scopes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In order to decarbonize their activities, companies must first understand their carbon footprint according to emissions scopes 1, 2 and 3. This article dives into the types of emissions included in each scope, and how to calculate them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The origin of scope 1-2-3 emissions<\/b><\/h2>\n

First, where did the emissions scopes 1, 2 and 3 come from and how were they defined? The scopes of carbon emissions were first introduced by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol<\/a>, the internationally recognized standard for corporate carbon footprint calculations. They came from the need to break down GHG emissions into different categories in order to facilitate the work of assessing carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scope 1 emissions<\/b><\/h2>\n

Scope 1 emissions are those generated by a company\u2019s own operations. For instance, for oil and gas companies, scope 1 represents a very large share of the carbon footprint: their core activities of drilling, extracting and refining petrol and natural gas release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. On the other hand, service-oriented companies such as banks and financial institutions tend to have small amounts of scope 1 emissions, since they work in offices and don\u2019t use polluting processes to make their products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scope 1 emissions also include fuels burned in vehicles operated by your company. If you operate a fleet, look at whether engines are combustion or electric and assess the distance they run every year to calculate the emissions related to the transportation fuel you use for your operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scope 2 emissions<\/b><\/h2>\n

Scope 2 emissions come from a company\u2019s energy use, be it for electricity or heating. All sectors require electricity to operate, so all companies need to calculate scope 2 emissions. Start with your power supply:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n