Mounting scientific evidence highlights climate change as presenting a very serious global risk
that demands a serious global response. Scientific evidence increasingly
recognizes that the greenhouse gas (1) (GHG) emissions as a result of human activities are the major contributor to this significant environmental issue.
Virtually all human action produces carbon dioxide (2) (CO2) or other GHG emissions, which contributes to climate change. These actions can be seen through activities such as using fossil fuels (3) to generate electricity, provide heating, driving vehicles, as well as producing, transporting, and disposing of raw materials and consumer goods.
This website is aimed at assisting Northern Ireland businesses in addressing their contribution to climate change through the provision of best practice advice and guidance towards the identification and reduction of carbon emissions.
What is a Carbon Footprint
The Carbon Trust define a carbon footprint as: "The total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an [individual, event, organization, product] expressed as CO2 equivalent(4) (CO2e)".
The origin of the term can be seen to stem from the concept that a footprint is what remains as a result of an individual's or businesses' activities.
A carbon footprint is intended to be a useful indicator for individuals and
organizations to measure their contribution to climate change.
A carbon footprint is calculated in tonnes and reported on an annual basis. A carbon footprint is made up of the direct or primary footprint and the indirect or secondary footprint.
The direct or primary footprint can be seen as a measure of direct CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels including utility consumption and business transportation (eg, car and plane).
The indirect or secondary footprint can be sees as a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the entire lifecycle of products we use—those associated with their manufacture and eventual
breakdown referred to as embodied energy (5).
Footprinter NI enables businesses to calculate its direct carbon footprint using its utility and transportation figures.
Why calculate a Carbon Footprint
Reasons for a business to calculate a carbon footprint include the following:
- The first step in a programme to reduce the carbon emissions it causes
- Implementing a programme of activity to reduce your emissions
- Tracking progress over time
- Determining which activities/processes/products are causing the greatest impact
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or environmental reporting purposes
- Marketing purposes
Calculating a Carbon Footprint using Footprinter NI
Calculating your carbon footprint using Footprinter NI is easy and simple to do!
Simply click 'calculate my footprint' on the navigation bar above. You will need to create your Footprint NI account on the introduction page by adding your
details, which can then be used to log in.
With Footprinter NI, you are able to add benchmarking factors that will relate your carbon footprint to relevant indicators for your business (number of staff, number of units produced, or floor space). Footprinter NI also allows you to input the time period for the specific data set you have chosen—whether it is based on a financial or calendar year.
To calculate your carbon footprint using Footprinter NI, you will require the following information:
- Electricity
- Oil
- Natural gas or Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Renewable energy
- Annual transportation statistics (if you wish to include them in your businesses carbon footprint calculation):
- Cars
- Two-wheeled vehicles
- Rail travel
- Bus
- Ferries
- Basic fuels
- Air travel
Footprinter NI is a flexible tool that allows you to enter data depending on how you collect it, eg, transportation information can be entered as distances traveled or fuel consumed.
Your carbon footprint is represented along the right-hand column and can be viewed as a column, stacked bar, or pie chart.
Your carbon footprint is also displayed using the benchmark factors you added on the
Organization tab.
Footprinter NI does not process indirect/secondary or embodied energy your business may be responsible for through its activities, products, events, supply chain, waste streams, or other activities.
Using a carbon footprint to manage Carbon
Calculating your businesses carbon footprint is the first step in managing your contribution to climate change.
While it is important to identify your carbon footprint, it is essential to follow-through with actions to reduce your businesses carbon emissions and resulting contribution to
climate change.
For further information on energy management and how your businesses can reduce its carbon emissions, please contact ARENA Network on (028) 9046 0606 or visit
www.arenani.org.uk
Glossary
- Green house gases (GHG): GHG are those gases that have been identified as contributing to climate change. These gases are CO2, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Conversion factors are available from Defra by visiting www.defra.gov.uk.
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2): the most common GHG. CO2 is released from the burning of fossil fuels.
- Fossil fuel: general term for ancient buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that can be used as an energy source to generate electricity or heat. A byproduct of burning fossil fuels is the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Examples include peat, coal, oil, and natural gas.
- Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e): there are a number of GHG that have been identified as contributing to climate change. Each GHG has a different contributing potential. For simplicity of reporting all of these gases are converted into equivalent measures of CO2
- Embodied Energy: the quantity of energy required in the production, transportation and disposal of a product, material or service
