Read the full story from RMI.
Typical emissions metrics are akin to putting a sprinter and marathoner in the same race – but clearer alternatives can help us cut climate impacts now and later.
Category: Measurement
Low-cost device can measure air pollution anywhere
Read the full story from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Air pollution is a major public health problem: The World Health Organization has estimated that it leads to over 4 million premature deaths worldwide annually. Still, it is not always extensively measured. But now an MIT research team is rolling out an open-source version of a low-cost, mobile pollution detector that could enable people to track air quality more widely.
The detector, called Flatburn, can be made by 3D printing or by ordering inexpensive parts. The researchers have now tested and calibrated it in relation to existing state-of-the-art machines, and are publicly releasing all the information about it — how to build it, use it, and interpret the data.
Reporting tool helps food industry track Scope 3 emissions
Read the full story at Environment + Energy Leader.
A new reporting tool will help the food industry measure and report on their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions produced from the agricultural supply chain.
The Scope 3 emissions reporting feature from research company HowGood pulls data from its software-as-a-service platform that has impact analysis on more than 33,000 ingredients from across eight ESG metrics. HowGood says it will help consumer packaged goods brands and food service companies meet the increasing demands of ESG reporting.
NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #121: Development of a Sustainability Metrics System and a Technical Solution Method for Sustainable Metal Finishing – 8th Quarterly Report
Read the full story at Products Finishing.
This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the eighth quarter of project work (January-March 2022) at Wayne State University in Detroit. The major activities in this report period are: (1) the development of a sustainability assessment method for technology evaluation with case studies, and (2) a continuous development of a software tool for sustainability assessment.
ENERGY STAR releases new Building Emissions Calculator
Calculate your building’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using EPA’s new ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Building Emissions Calculator. This tool allows users to estimate their building’s GHG emissions, support GHG emissions inventories, evaluate emissions under local building performance standards, and forecast the impact of changes in building efficiency and energy procurement.
The calculator:
- estimates past, current, and future emissions
- leverages Portfolio Manager data
- allows entry of multiple emissions factors
- complies with industry-standard GHG accounting protocols
- estimates emissions for a single building or entire portfolios in the U.S.
Norfolk Southern introduces online carbon calculator
Norfolk Southern has launched a new online carbon calculator to help customers measure and mitigate carbon emissions resulting from their supply chain decisions.
NS, which first introduced a carbon calculator in 2008, says its new version is more accurate because it captures the full cycle of fuel usage, with fuel consumption from locomotives applied to each railcar based on weight and distance traveled, as well as fuel used in yard and local operations, and container handling of intermodal traffic. The calculator offers fuel efficiency information for 18 railcar types and 30 commodities, plus intermodal.
Users enter the type of commodity they want to transport, shipment weight and frequency, then choose from over 75,000 origins and destinations in the U.S. The calculator provides data on estimated and avoided emissions, carbon dollars saved, highway miles avoided, trucks and cars taken off the road, and other carbon equivalents.
A Google-backed carbon footprint tracker could be a game-changer for small businesses
Read the full story at Protocol. The calculator is part of the SME Climate Hub.
Tracking carbon emissions is hard, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. A Google-backed company is coming to their rescue, though.
Swedish startup Normative introduced a free version of its carbon emissions tracker, which it created to help relatively small companies get a baseline understanding of their emissions. That’s the first step to putting together a climate plan.
A guide to addressing your Scope 3 value chain emissions
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
As organizations around the world take action to address climate change, many are committing to ambitious climate goals, including net zero carbon emissions, carbon neutrality and science-based targets. However, knowing the proper steps to take to achieve climate goals can sometimes be a challenge, particularly as it relates to Scope 3 value chain emissions. Value chain emissions lie outside an organization’s direct operations, and can therefore be more difficult to address — but they often represent the majority of a company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There are three key steps to addressing value chain emissions — measurement, materiality and engagement — that will help demystify the process of reducing Scope 3 emissions.
Carbon measurement platform Persefoni raises $101 million
Read the full story in ESG Today.
Climate management and accounting platform Persefoni announced today that it has raised $101 million in a Series B financing round, with proceeds aimed at accelerating the company’s geographic and product expansion plans…
Persefoni also made a series of product announcements today, including the rollout of a free tier of its carbon accounting platform for SMBs. Additionally, the company is introducing a climate scenario modelling solution, integrating the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Temperature Scoring Model, enabling users to create models for their organizations aligned with 1.5C or 2C implied temperature rise.
BCG survey: Inability to measure emissions accurately a major roadblock to climate goals
Read the full story at ESG Today.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and its AI-focused team BCG GAMMA announced the release of a new survey into companies’ efforts to reduce emissions, indicating that many companies are failing to meet their climate goals, and often report inaccurate emissions data.
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