Since 1990, carbon emissions worldwide have increased by over 60 percent. This emphasizes the urgent need for extensive measures to combat climate change.
Global CO2 Emissions (1940-2023)
An increase in carbon emissions results in rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, and loss of biodiversity. It also contributes to air pollution, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Following this, governments worldwide are setting up stringent regulations and so, companies aiming to reduce their carbon emissions can ensure compliance with these regulations and steer clear of penalties.
This blog will guide you with a detailed understanding of what carbon emissions are, their sources, and the ways to reduce or offset these emissions.
Understanding Carbon Emissions
Carbon emissions involve the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These emissions are primarily a result of human activities such as using fossil fuels for energy, deforestation, and other industrial processes. In the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, or natural gas, carbon is released into the atmosphere, and heat is trapped in the atmosphere, which leads to global warming and climate change.
To categorize carbon emissions for better management and reduction, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol divides them into Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. For a detailed explanation, refer to our blog on What are Scopes 1,2, and 3 of Carbon Emissions?
Sources of Carbon Emissions
Fossil Fuels
The primary source of CO2 emissions worldwide is the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity, heat, and transportation purposes.
Deforestation
When trees are cleared or burned, the CO2 they absorb gets emitted into the atmosphere.
Industrial Processes
Industries such as cement production, steel manufacturing, and chemical processing emit huge amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
Agriculture
Agricultural activities emit methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), both strong greenhouse gases, through livestock farming and fertilizer application.
Waste Management
Organic waste disposal in landfills produces methane, and burning waste emits CO2.
Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse Effect and Carbon Emissions
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that takes place when certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat, to maintain a favorable temperature for life to sustain. However, this effect has reached extreme levels as human activities have raised the levels of greenhouse gases, especially CO2.
Once carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere, they absorb and emit infrared radiation. This process traps heat, leading to an increase in Earth’s surface temperature. The heightened greenhouse effect is responsible for climate change and global warming, along with several environmental and socio-economic issues.
Impact of Carbon Emissions on the Environment
Global Warming
Since 1975, the majority of global warming has occurred, increasing at a speed of around 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade. The rise in the temperature leads to several consequences, including melting polar ice caps and glaciers, contributing to sea level rise.
Climate Change
In May 2021, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 419 parts per million (ppm), the highest level we’ve seen in over 800,000 years. Variations in weather patterns or temperature can result in extreme weather conditions, like hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and heavy rainfall. This in turn disrupts ecosystems and human communities.
Ocean Acidification
The ocean absorbs around 30% of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, causing ocean acidification. As the CO2 level increases, a higher amount of CO2 will be absorbed by the oceans. This risks marine life, especially species with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, like corals and some shellfish.
Loss of Biodiversity
Climate change disturbs food chains and ecosystems, leading to biodiversity loss. It also forces a lot of species to adapt, migrate, or meet extinction.
Agricultural Impact
Climate change disrupts crop yields, water availability, and soil health, driving challenges for food security. Strong weather conditions and shifting growing seasons can lead to decreased agricultural productivity.
How to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Corporate Strategies to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Businesses are working on reducing their carbon emissions to promote a more sustainable future. For a comprehensive understanding of how it works, refer to our blog on Decarbonization. Various strategies have been devised to reduce carbon emissions, including:
Renewable Energy Sources
Installing solar panels and wind turbines helps transition to renewable energy sources. On top of that, leveraging hydropower and geothermal energy can provide a sustainable and consistent energy supply.
Energy-Efficient Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing processes need to be simplified to reduce energy consumption and waste. Using automation and AI reduces energy usage and helps optimize operations.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Sustainable supply chain management practices significantly help reduce carbon emissions. Companies look for better supplier selection, optimizing transportation routes, local material sourcing, green packaging, and LCA of products to identify and mitigate environmental impact at the earliest. For instance, Patagonia adopted a set of comprehensive practices for sustainable supply chain management.
For a detailed understanding, refer to our blog on How the Fashion Industry can Reduce its Carbon Emission.
Individual Actions to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Energy-Efficient Home Improvements
Energy-efficient measures like insulation in walls, roofs, and floors can help reduce the need for heating and cooling, cutting emissions by 30%. Shifting from incandescent bulbs to LED lights is also critical as it uses 75% less energy and lasts 25 times longer. Other measures like installing smart thermostats and investing in energy-efficient appliances can also go a long way.
Sustainable Transportation Choices
Opting for more sustainable transportation choices makes a huge difference, like using public transportation instead of personal vehicles, switching to electric vehicles, and walking or biking instead of driving. Carpooling and ride-sharing must also be promoted to cut emissions per person. These measures will help reduce overall emissions, decrease traffic congestion, and also provide health benefits.
Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
Choose reusable items like water bottles, shopping bags, and food containers, instead of single-use plastics. Bulk-purchasing can also be used to reduce packaging waste or opt for products with eco-friendly packaging. Adhere to recycling guidelines to ensure materials are correctly sorted and recycled. Go for sustainable, ethically produced products and practice mindful consumption to reduce environmental impact.
How to Offset Carbon Emissions
Carbon offsetting is when companies compensate for their CO2 emissions by investing in projects that reduce or mitigate an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. Projects, from reforestation and renewable energy initiatives to methane capture and energy efficiency improvements, all come under carbon offsetting projects.
How Carbon Offset Projects Work?
Reforestation
More trees would help absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere, seizing carbon and providing various environmental benefits, like habitat restoration and enhanced air quality.
Renewable Energy Projects
Investing in solar, wind, or hydroelectric power projects helps replace fossil fuel energy production, lowering overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane Capture
Capturing and utilizing methane from landfills, agriculture, or wastewater treatment facilities prevent this powerful greenhouse gas from being released into the atmosphere.
Energy Efficiency Improvements
Programs that encourage energy-efficient appliances, buildings, and industrial processes can greatly minimize energy consumption and related emissions.
Choosing the Right Carbon Offset Programs
Criteria for Selecting Credible Carbon Offset Programs
- Additionality: The emissions reduced through this project should be the additional emissions, which would have occurred without the investment in the project.
- Verification: Projects should be independently verified by reputable third-party organizations to ensure the emissions reductions are real and measurable.
- Permanence: The carbon reduction or seizing should last long, without future emissions being released.
- Transparency: How offsets are measured, the methods used, and the projects invested in, everything must be clearly reported, providing transparent information.
- Sustainability: The project should contribute to the larger picture of environmental and social goals, such as biodiversity protection, community development, and public health improvements.
Examples of Reputable Carbon Offset Providers
Gold Standard
Set up by WWF and other NGOs, Gold Standard provides certifications for high-quality carbon offset projects that contribute to sustainable development and meet rigorous environmental and social standards.
Steps to get certified by Gold Standard
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
VCS is one of the most commonly used voluntary carbon offset standards, making sure projects meet advanced environmental integrity and contribute to sustainable development.
VCS Standard Accounting Methods
Climate Action Reserve
Climate Action Reserve is a program that has a rigid overlooking and verification process to ensure the environmental integrity of GHG emissions.
American Carbon Registry (ACR)
With an advanced set of carbon offset standards and methodologies, ACR is the world’s first carbon registry, focusing on environmental stability and transparent sustainability.
Benefits of Investing in Carbon Offset Projects
Climate Impact
Offsetting helps mitigate climate change as carbon emissions are reduced which directly contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection
Investment in several offset initiatives, like reforestation and habitat restoration, helps protect and strengthen biodiversity and ecosystems.
Community Development
Offset projects also provide employment, enhance infrastructure, and improve the quality of life, supporting local communities.
Corporate Responsibility and Brand Image
Companies can strengthen their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and build a better brand image by investing in carbon offset projects. This helps in showcasing dedication towards sustainability.
Regulatory Compliance
Carbon offset programs can also help organizations adhere to regulatory requirements for reducing emissions.
Long-term Strategies for Carbon Emissions Reduction
Policy and Legislation
Role of Government Policies
Governmental policies are important when striving towards significant reductions in carbon emissions. The mandatory emission reduction targets and standards set up for industries to comply with, such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), is crucial to have a structured approach on reducing emissions that aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Various fashion-specific regulations have also been established addressing the environmental impact of production and consumption in the industry. These regulations cover many areas like sustainable material requirements, waste reduction, and carbon footprint transparency.
For a better understanding of SBTi and other fashion-specific regulations, refer to our guide on Regulations in the Fashion Industry.
Additionally, offering financial incentives, like tax credits, grants, and subsidies, or investing in research and development to back the creation of innovative technologies are some other ways government plays a significant role in building strategies for reduction of carbon emissions.
Effective Policies and International Agreements
Paris Agreement
Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement is an international treaty that aims to cap global warming to well below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)
EU ETS is the world’s largest carbon market, limiting the overall amount of GHG emissions released by sectors covered by the system and allowing companies to buy and sell emission allowances.
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)
These are a set of policies that need utilities to make sure that a portion of the electricity they sell comes from renewable sources, encouraging the use of renewable energy.
Technological Innovations
Carbon Capture and Storage
CCS talks about capturing CO2 emissions from various industrial processes and storing them underground in geological formations. Emerging technologies for CCS include:
Direct Air Capture (DAC)
This helps in capturing CO2 from the atmosphere using chemical processes and then stored underground or used in different industrial operations.
Source: The World Economic Forum
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
Biomass-based energy production, like burning wood or agricultural remains emit CO2 and these emissions are captured through BECCS, resulting in negative emissions.
Concept of BECCS Technology
Industrial CCS
Industrial CCS refers to capturing CO2 emissions produced by industrial activities like cement production, steelmaking, and chemical manufacturing, and storing it underground to avoid being released into the atmosphere.
Innovations in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Practices
Innovations like perovskite solar cells and bifacial solar panels enhance the effectiveness and reduce the cost of solar power, making it more accessible. Alongside this, there have been some instrumental developments in wind turbine technology, including larger and more efficient turbines, offshore wind farms, and floating wind turbines, working on emissions reductions.
Energy storage solutions like flow batteries and super capacitors, gives a stable power supply and supports the integration of renewable energy into the grid. The smart grid technology enhances the effectiveness, dependability, and accessibility of electricity distribution.
Green Hydrogen refers to producing hydrogen by renewable energy sources, offers a clean energy source for various operations.
Conclusion
Combating climate change and securing a sustainable future is the need of the hour and for this, reducing carbon emissions is crucial. Understanding where these emissions come from and the impact of these emissions allows us to devise strategies to mitigate these emissions. Carbon offsetting is one such strategy that helps in the reductions. Naturally, all the strategies need a structured framework which is why, the role of policymakers is instrumental.
At Carbon Trail, we are dedicated to helping businesses to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. We specialize in helping the fashion and retail industry by calculating their corporate and product impact using primary supply chain data.
Our platform seamlessly connects with ERP systems like SAP and PLM systems like Centric to automatically pull product-specific data from bills of materials and purchase orders. Our Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) engine calculates an accurate PCF using a combination of primary facility data and science-backed emission factors.
We encourage you to step up within your company to drive impactful results. Start by evaluating your carbon footprint with our advanced tools, implementing effective decarbonization action plans, and investing in reliable carbon offset projects where necessary. By doing so, you can make a major positive impact on the environment and play your part in a more sustainable future.
