MEASURING CARBON

Carbon Intensity

Carbon intensity refers to the measure of how clean or environmentally friendly a particular source of consumed electricity is. It is typically expressed as the amount of CO2 emissions produced per unit of energy consumed.

A lower carbon intensity indicates a cleaner and more sustainable energy source. It means that the electricity generation process associated with that energy source emits fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint refers to the total amount of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, organisation, event, product, or nation-state.

It encompasses emissions generated throughout the lifecycle of goods and services, including production, transportation, and use. Additionally, it includes emissions from energy consumption, waste disposal, and other relevant activities.

Carbon Budget

Carbon budget refers to the cumulative finite amount of CO2 emissions that are estimated and permitted to keep within a certain temperature threshold over a period of time. It is an approach for individuals, businesses and nations to frame the challenge of keeping global warming to ‘acceptable’ levels.

When we spoke to Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen on our podcast, he emphasised that carbon budgeting will become mainstream in the near future.

He believes that sustainable aviation will require carbon budgeting –specifically in the corporate sector. Just as corporations have traditionally managed travel budgets, they are likely to start considering strict carbon budgets as well.

“So when they’re booking online, they can go right, well, I can fly that business class seat, or I can trade down because I’m running out my carbon budget”, explains Bowen.

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Decoupling

Decoupling refers to the separation or reduction of negative environmental impacts from economic growth. The concept of decoupling was included as one of the main objectives in the OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century, adopted in 2001.

There are two types of decoupling: absolute and relative decoupling.

• Absolute decoupling occurs when the rate of environmental pressure, such as resource use or pollution, remains stable or decreases while the economic growth continues.

• On the other hand, relative decoupling happens when the growth rate of the environmental pressure is positive but slower than the growth rate of the economic variable.

Decoupling can be measured by decoupling indicators, which divide an environmental pressure variable by an economic variable. In some cases, population growth or other variables can serve as the denominator or driving force.

Net Zero

Net zero refers to a state where the total GHG emissions emitted are equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Achieving net zero requires actively reducing emissions through measures such as efficiency improvements, electrification, and the use of renewable energy sources. It involves both emission reductions and removals, ensuring that a business or organisation operates in a way that does not contribute to climate change.

Carbon Neutrality

On the other hand, carbon neutrality can be claimed by measuring CO2 emissions and offsetting the balance through financing external projects that remove or reduce emissions. It does not necessarily require the business to reduce its own emissions directly.

Carbon neutrality often focuses on the accounting and offsetting of emissions, where emissions are compensated for through activities such as investing in renewable energy projects or supporting carbon capture and storage initiatives. The reporting boundary for carbon neutrality may include a wider value chain, but it is not mandatory to include Scope 3 emissions.

True Zero

True zero pertains to emissions produced from a specific product or service, where no carbon is emitted from the initial stage – meaning there is no need to capture or offset carbon emissions because the product or service is designed to be carbon-free from the start.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NET-ZERO AIRLINE AND A CARBON NEUTRAL AIRLINE

This is because carbon neutrality is easier to achieve with the existing tools and systems and can be done through offsetting without necessarily requiring changes to other processes. Therefore, airlines are setting interim goals by 2023 or 2040 where the focus is primarily on addressing CO2 emissions through operational efficiencies or carbon offsetting initiatives.

Net zero is a more ambitious goal usually set for 2050 or 2060 by when all airline emissions would effectively be cancelled out by activities that avoid, remove or reduce all greenhouse gases, not only CO2. Of course, this requires significant investment, technological and operational changes, such as the global supply of SAF and the adoption of next-generation aircraft.

It's worth mentioning that while carbon offsetting can help companies reduce their overall carbon footprint, it is still going to be a controversial practice. Some critics argue that offsetting allows companies to buy their way out of their environmental responsibility and that it could be more effective for companies to reduce their emissions directly.