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Carbon footprints are on the minds of everyone today and using carbon account software is one way that those who are interested in carbon management can account for their carbon emissions.  Most of the larger companies are under legislation with regards to the amount of carbon emissions that they put out into the atmosphere.  These can come from the type of product that they are producing, the way that they are producing the product as well as their type of labor and machinery.   Employing carbon management can allow a business to keep track of their energy expenditures including carbon emissions that can even come from computer servers. 

In order to be compliant with federal, state and local guidelines, a company can use carbon accounting software that will compile reports on how much carbon is being emitted as well as how they can reduce the amount of carbon through carbon management.  Carbon management is not difficult when you are using carbon accounting software which will tell you what you need to do in order to reduce the amount of emissions from your company.  The carbon accounting software will be able to point out the areas where you are using the most energy so that you can conserve. 

It is important for all companies today to realize the impact that they have on the environment.  Carbon footprints are found through all sorts of energy, even through computer servers.  This is one of the reasons why using carbon accounting software is so important.  Not only will this type of carbon management allow a company to see where they are over using energy, but it will help them to make reductions that are necessary to meet legislation.  There is an increasing pressure in congress as well as at the consumer level for companies to practice carbon management as people are becoming more concerned with keeping the environment healthy.  Using carbon accounting software is one way that the environment can be kept healthier and companies can stay within the realm of legislation. 

As legislation is always changing when it comes to carbon management, it is also important that the carbon accounting software not only keep the company in compliance, but be allowed to change for stricter codes of legislation.  Using carbon accounting software that can be adjusted to meet the new legislation that is often required for companies can save the company money and make sure that they retain compliance.  A company that is not in compliance when it comes to carbon management may face fines as well as penalties if they fail an emissions test. 

In order to avoid fines and penalties from legislation that is becoming more stringent when it comes to carbon management, a company today can be prepared with carbon accounting software.  This will measure how much energy a company is putting out as well as the carbon footprints that they are leaving behind that are detrimental to the earth.  This software is easy to run and can end up not only making the earth greener, but will also help a company avoid any loss through penalties and fines because their emissions are not in compliance with legislation. 

Carbon credits are like certificates that represent a reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They are fully fungible financial instruments, and are measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tons CO2e). Carbon sequestration credits or offsets are calculated by the amount of carbon emissions that would have been emitted if a diesel or other traditional polluting electric generator was used to produce the same amount of electricity. Companies and electric utilities in countries can buy these emission reduction carbon credits to replace the emissions from their coal burning electric power plants to meet regulatory requirements. Purchasing carbon credits means making an investment in carbon reduction projects. So, how to buy carbon credits?

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The first step you have to do is to calculate your carbon footprint. This number determines how many carbon credits you need to buy to offset your carbon-producing activity. Then, check with your utility company to see if they have a carbon offsetting program. Think it over and make a decision as to what type of projects you want your carbon credit purchase to support. It could be a tree-planting project to recreate natural forests and to prevent deforestation, a renewable energy project, or an energy conservation project.

After deciding on a project, research on carbon credit providers. Then, purchase your carbon credits from your chosen provider. Usually, you can purchase a carbon credit for between five dollars and fifty dollars for every ton of carbon dioxide you emit into the air. The price varies with each carbon credit provider, and so researching on your provider carefully is a smart step to take.

The benefits of carbon credits are many. Carbon credits reduce poverty, provide off-grid electricity, provide employment for carbon sequestration, and boost economic development in rural communities. Remember, though, that they are not free tickets to pollute.

Learn how to buy carbon credits now!

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In these modern times, we can’t deny the fact that technology and science has propelled into probably the highest level of superiority which has indeed made our lives much more comfortable. However, the down side is that it has also caused air pollution, specifically carbon emissions coming from cars, planes, factories, etc. As of now, air pollution is considered to be a big environmental threat in many parts of the world. So how does air pollution affect the environment?

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Climate change

One of the major contributing factors to climate change is air pollution. Harmful emissions doesn’t just pollute the air we breathe, but are also producing greenhouse effect much more impact, therefore, leading to the increase on the average temperature on our planet. So we can say that more vehicles and more industries would also mean that there would be more negative impact to the global warming problem.

Ozone layer

Another major issue on how does air pollution affect the environment is the harmful effect it has in the earth’s ozone layer. Well almost everyone is aware that there are chemicals that shrink our ozone layer, making it thinner and increasing the risk for harmful violet rays that may lead to developing skin cancer.

Acid rain

Acid rain is another negative effect of air pollution. It destroys the habitat of many animals, polluting the water by affecting their acidity and do great damage to the ecosystem as a whole.

Now that we all have the answer on how does air pollution affect the environment, the next logical thing to do is to find a way to reduce, if not totally eliminate the major factors that contributes to air pollution. We can start by using much less of our cars than we used them now and we should also take simple steps to conserve energy.

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You have heard the term biofuel but aren’t sure what it means. Biofuel is any fuel that is derived from biomass-recently living organisms or their metabolic by-products, such as manure from cows. It is considered ‘green’ because it comes from a renewable energy source, unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal and nuclear fuels.

Agricultural products specifically grown for use as biofuels include corn and soybeans (primarily in the United States) as well as flaxseed and rapeseed (primarily in Europe).

Waste from industry, agriculture, forestry and households can also be used to produce bioenergy and include straw, lumber, manure, sewage, garbage and food leftovers.

The production of biofuels to replace oil and natural gas is in active development, focusing on the use of cheap organic matter (usually cellulose, agricultural and sewage waste) in the efficient production of liquid and gas biofuels that yield high net energy gain.

There are various current issues with biofuel production and use, which are presently being discussed in the popular media and scientific journals. These include: the “food vs fuel” debate, carbon emissions levels, sustainable biofuel production, deforestation and soil erosion, impact on water resources, human rights issues, poverty reduction potential, biofuel prices, energy balance and efficiency, and centralised versus decentralised production models.

What material can be used to make biofuels? Conventional ethanol is made from sugar cane, corn, and sweet sorghum. Soybean and rapeseed oil are often used to make biodiesel, but coconut, palm, canola and jatropha nut oil are also being used throughout the world.

Trees, grass, agricultural residue, and municipal solid waste can also be converted into biofuels. Cellulose makes up the majority of a plant’s structure and can be broken down into sugars, which can then be fermented and made into ethanol. Recent research is making this process less expensive and more energy efficient.

As the world’s top producer, Brazil uses sugar cane to make ethanol. Many other developing countries, such as those of southern Africa, produce large amounts of sugar and also have potential to become ethanol producers. The Midwestern United States relies on corn to produce nearly one-quarter of the globe’s ethanol, and China is quickly emerging as the third largest ethanol supplier.

Other countries with limited fossil fuel resources are examining the prospect of producing domestic fuel supplies. Thailand has an aggressive policy to make use of tapioca and sugar cane for ethanol production. In response to the recent passage of the EU Biofuels Directive, member countries are ramping up biodiesel production. The Philippines recently mandated incorporation of coconut oil biodiesel into diesel fuel, the first time coconut oil has been used as a motor fuel.

Cars, trucks, and farm machinery can all run on low-volume biofuel blends without any alteration. Current car warranties cover operation with ethanol-blended gas of up to ten percent. Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) operate on any combination of ethanol and gasoline. FFVs are being sold in the U.S., Brazil, and China. As ethanol has a higher octane, it is used as a gasoline additive to improve vehicle performance. In fact, many international racing teams use ethanol because of its high performance qualities. Biodiesel blends of 20% show similar operation in conventional diesel engines as regular diesel fuel.

Are biofuels the answer for today’s energy crisis? It may be too soon to tell but it certainly has been an alternative source in the meantime.

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You can achieve effective carbon management when you use carbon software to do the job.  Carbon software will allow you to actually keep track of your carbon emissions and regulate them, through the use of the carbon software, so that you have effective carbon management.  This is necessary for companies that need to comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations. 

There is an increasing amount of outcry coming from consumer and advocate groups when it comes to carbon management from companies.  Larger companies know that they have to be compliant when it comes to their carbon management and take steps towards doing this, often using carbon software that will generate reports as well as signal when the company is using too much energy in one or more particular area.  This type of carbon management also measures the amount of emissions that are generated by the use of energy.  Everyone knows that energy use of all kinds emits carbon footprints.  In order to generate less carbon footprints that are harmful to the environment as well as quell the carbon emissions, it is necessary for companies to practice good carbon management. 

Even smaller companies can benefit from the use of carbon software.  Carbon software can be used for a variety of different companies to help them measure the emissions that they are generating.  These can come from any type of energy source, including computer servers.  As the laws are becoming more strict when it comes to carbon management, an increasing number of companies are seeking ways to reduce their emissions.  They can do this when they use effective carbon software that will give them accurate reports on emissions as well as be able to generate reports so that they can make sure that they stay in compliance.  Any company that is interested in carbon management can use carbon software for this purpose.  

The carbon software is easy to use and will pretty much run itself once you install it.  It will be able to tell you the amount of carbon emissions you are generating as well as give you insight as to how you can reduce these emissions in certain sectors of your company.  This can make a great deal of difference not only to your company, but to the environment as well.  If your company has pledged to go green, then you need to use carbon software in order to help you attain that goal. 

In order to avoid being out of compliance with legislation as well as to better the environment, a company today needs to practice carbon management.  Using a reliable and easy to use carbon software is the best way to approach this problem and solve any excessive emissions that are being generated from your company.  If you are looking for carbon software, you can find various types that will help your company stay compliant with all laws as well as become greener and cleaner.  Your company can practice carbon management easily and effectively when using a reliable and up to date carbon software product. 

A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, event, organization or product. Carbon accounting (also called GHG accounting) does assess the carbon footprint to help organizations adopt strategies aimed at fighting climate change. As with financial accounting and reporting, generally accepted carbon accounting principles are intended to underpin and guide carbon accounting and reporting to ensure that the reported information represents a faithful, true, and fair account of a company’s carbon emissions.

Business community in India has started seeing value in undertaking carbon accounting and reporting it in public forums. Such forums include Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and company’s Sustainable Development Reports. The number of companies which responded the CDP’s information request on climate change strategy, risk and opportunities assessment and carbon accounting was answered by 37 companies in 2007. The number increased to 51 in 2008 and dropped marginally to 44 in 2009, partially explained by the global financial crisis.

There is still long way to go for Indian businesses on the path of carbon accounting and disclosures. Even in the top 200 firms in India (by market capitalization), the response rate in last few years has steadily increased and reached 20%, a rather dismal performance compared to developed markets.

There are a few sectors like the software and services which are clear leaders in being carbon-aware, accounting carbon emissions from their emissions, taking efforts in reducing it and communicating it to the stakeholders. Part of this can be explained given the fact that these companies are most export dependent and draw majority of their clientele and revenues from markets of US and EU. Clear laggards in efforts in this direction are companies in the field of banking & diversified financials, capital goods, real estate and retail. Very few companies in these sectors have responded to the CDP information request and have accounted for their carbon emissions. Part of the lack of drive can be explained by significant domestic base, relative inelasticity of demand to seemingly peripheral factors and relative less thought given to corporate social responsibility.

In the following discussion, we summarize the key issues that would become increasing relevant to Indian organizations and drive thorough and wide spread carbon accounting, reduction and disclosure efforts.

Upcoming regulations

Industries such as steel and textiles could soon face a carbon entry barrier, one way or the other, while exporting goods to markets where the country has enacted regulations stipulating guidelines for the domestic industry. The domestic industry, to maintain its competitiveness would ensure that less efficient (and therefore more carbon intensive) products entering into the economy pay for the difference in carbon levels by ‘carbon tax’ or equivalent.

Though these regulations may take some time to be widely implemented, it makes business sense for companies in select sectors to be prepared with a clear understanding of where they stand with respect to competition from developed countries and other developing countries such as China, Brazil or Vietnam.

Developing countries such as India, Brazil, China and South Africa (BASIC) are facing increasing pressure from the developed world to monitor and report their GHG emissions. This is due to the fact that the growth in GHG emissions worldwide in foreseeable future will come from these economies, thanks to their contribution to world economy and increasingly so. In order to make sure that the developed countries continue to finance emission reduction projects, energy efficiency and other technology development, the BASIC countries may have to undertake monitoring, reporting and verification of their national GHG inventories. When such an mechanism becomes a part of internationally negotiated agreement, carbon accounting and reporting would become statutory requirement like the annual financial reporting and auditing.

Investor requirements

Having realized the crucial importance of good disclosure and corporate governance practices, investors across the globe are demanding companies to disclose their climate change strategies, perceived risks and opportunities created by climate change, contribution to climate change and efforts taken to minimize corporate carbon footprint. To reduce the transaction costs of responding to individual investors in unique format and vice-versa, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has been created as a not-for-profit non-governmental organization. Active since 2006, in 2010 CDP sent out information request to more than 3500 organizations across sectors and scales around the globe. In India, the information is sought from top 200 companies by market capitalization. The responses from companies in relation to their climate change strategies, perceived risks and opportunities and carbon footprint of their operations will be analyzed, compiled in a report and sent to more than 530 investors across globe. Investors also become aware if the organization chooses not to respond to such an information request or decline to participate. The list of investors who get seek such information from corporations through CDP includes Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan Asset Management among others.

Such investor-facing communication should be taken seriously taken by companies and pursued pro-actively even if organization does not receive information request.

Basis for Energy efficiency

Carbon emission is a direct indicator of the energy consumption in a process or an activity. By mapping carbon footprint in detail, an organization can identify ‘emission hotspots’, the energy intensive processes and take actions to reduce the carbon footprint/energy consumption per unit product/service produced/delivered. This can directly lead to cost savings and thus addition to bottom-line, the ultimate test for evaluating success or failure of an activity/intervention.

Impact the national policy

Though the carbon accounting and disclosure efforts of an individual company may not have a direct bearing on the climate policy decisions taken by the Indian government, a wide participation by India Inc. in activities in the area of carbon accounting, emission reductions and reporting can send a strong signal that Indian industry is proactively engaging in the climate change dialogue and response process. Such activities will contribute towards political process through analysis and reporting. For example – the release of CDP India 2009 report coincided with landmark session in parliament where the environmental Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh announced that India will reduce its carbon intensity levels by 20-25% on its 2005 over the next 11 years. The Economic Times carried an article quoting the CDP India report and saying that India Inc. is well positioned to achieve the 20-25% emission intensity reduction targets given that companies are already voluntarily disclosing their carbon footprints and undertaking measures to reduce them.

It is evident that voluntary initiatives such as the CDP or company’s sustainability reports highlighting their carbon emissions, reduction measures and targets are influencing policy decisions and in future will play a significant role in India’s climate change strategy and policy.

________________________

EcoLogic Consultancy is a focused Carbon Management consulting firm. We provide services in the wide spectrum of carbon management, helping our clients identify the risks and opportunities in climate change, mitigate the risks, exploit the opportunities, and thus tackle the environmental challenge.

For further details, reach us at

enquiry@ecologicconsultancy.in

www.ecologicconsultancy.in

Indrajeet – +91-90287 88430

Kedar – +91-90007 72462

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Carbon management is now a major focus of environmental initiatives. Although carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, it is the most common and therefore at the centre of attempts to reduce the rate of growth of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and eventually to cause these emissions to fall.
Carbon management is a controversial area, involving politicians, public servants, social and physical scientists, activists, businesses and many others. The controversies include:
– Whether carbon dioxide is a cause or a consequence of global warming or both
– Whether global warming is a fact – depending on the time period analysed
– Whether particular initiatives or mechanisms for carbon reduction (such as carbon trading) work (whether scientifically, technologically or in terms of incentives)
– Whether they have desirable or undesirable other consequences,
This report abstracts from these and other controversies. It focuses on the extent to which emerging economies are involved in innovative and/or leading edge practices in carbon management. So it focuses on questions such as whether a particular initiative works to reduce carbon emissions, whether it has known or suspected adverse consequences in other areas, whether environmental, economic or other; whether the approach to funding it creates problems; whether the initiative may lead to diversion of energy from other initiatives; and whether the initiatives taken together are in some sense enough for the emerging economy in question.

Key features of this report

• A review of the principles of carbon management
• An examination of carbon trading and the working of carbon markets
• Comprehensive and up-to-date data on CO2 emissions for emerging nations, broken out by fuel type
• Insights on the principlal initiatives taken by nation to reduce CO2 emissions
• Examination of the key technology introductions and innovations.
• Implications for the future

Scope of this report

• Achieve a quick and comprehensive understanding of the various options and models available for reducing carbon emissions
• Definitive source work, including the most up to date data on carbon emissions by emerging nation
• An overview of trends and initiatives in reduction of carbon emissions, both worldwide and by emerging nation
• Comparison of initiatives by nation: which countries are making the greatest progress in dealing with carbon emissions; which are struggling

Key Market Issues

• Core Issue: Different paths to managing CO2 emissions require different degrees of participation by industry, consumers and governments. The future of carbon management is still uncertain, due to lack of international consensus on how best to manage efficiency and equity issues, and the lack of consensus about the continuation of global warming.
• Alternative approaches: Various initiatives are used to greater or lesser extent, including:
– Improved carbon management
– The Clean Development Mechanism: an important stimulus for carbon reduction initiatives, but high cost and bureaucratic
– Carbon trading: the cap and trade approach depends for its success on realistic caps
– Taxation, subsidies and regulation
– Innovation
• Approaches vary by location: Most African countries have low carbon emissions. A few – Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana – have significant oil reserves, and so tend to focus their carbon management on reduction of flaring and other oil and gas-related projects. Access to energy is Africa’s main problem.

Key findings from this report

– The carbon management situation in emerging economies has produced a mixed picture, with two giants – China and India – focused on carbon management, making significant improvements in some area, but with some substantial gaps.
– The carbon market looks like it will continue to grow very rapidly, once the recession is over, leading to greatly increased demand for auditing capability – and a risk that there will be a worldwide shortage the of the skills needed to audit carbon savings.
– The bureaucracy of carbon management is still posing significant problems, even though some progress is being made with reducing validation times for carbon investments.
– In the CDM, there is tension between the “cleanness”, which leads to carbon saving, credits and money for the emerging economies, and “development”, the much wider objective that all emerging economies have adopted.

Key questions answered

– What are the key issues affecting different approaches to carbon reduction?
– How are various emerging economies adapting to the demands of carbon reduction?
– What are the key trends in carbon emissions by emerging economy?
– What are the main obstacles to a co-ordinated worldwide approach to carbon reduction?
– How has the perceived failure of Copenhagen impacted on international policy in this area?

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Creating real carbon credits comes from the concept of supplementarity within the Kyoto Protocol. Supplementarity means that internal abatement of emissions should take precedence before a country purchases carbon credits. It establishes that countries should develop real, measureable, permanent emissions reductions. There are steps involved in deciding whether or not carbon credits are legitimate. This means making sure that the process through which the carbon credits are submitted are in fact real, measurable, and permanent emissions.

Creating real carbon credits involves the concept of additionality. This refers to a term used by Kyoto’s Clean Development Mechanism, describing the fact that a carbon dioxide reduction project would not have occurred had it not been for concern for the mitigation of climate change. By proving additionality, it proves the legitimacy of the environmental stewardship claim resulting from the retirement of the carbon credit.

Involved with real carbon credits is personal carbon trading. Personal carbon trading has not yet been approved, but may very well help lower carbon usage as well as create small, localized economies. Personal carbon trading is a concept that is along the same lines as carbon offset credits. The concept of carbon trading refers to emissions trading.

It is hoped that personal carbon trading will help lower the amount of emissions by allotting a certain amount of emissions to individuals on an equal per capita basis. The number would be based on national carbon budgets. The credits would be surrendered later when buying fuel or electricity. Any individual who needs or wants more carbon credits would need to trade or purchase additional credits. Not only does this allow for people to get additional credits, it also makes it possible for those who do not need all of their credits, or are voluntarily lowering their carbon emissions, to sell surplus credits. Individual trading under Personal Carbon Trading is similar to the trading companies under the European Union Emission Trading System.

Personal carbon trading is not the same as carbon offsetting. They are very similar in the sense that they pay for emissions allowances, but carbon trading differs in that it is designed to be mandatory so nations are guaranteed domestic carbon emissions targets. There are various carbon proposals. Included are Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs), Personal Carbon Allowances (PCAs), and Tradable Personal Pollution Allowances.

Depending on the personal carbon trading that is chosen, individuals would most likely use electric accounts to control the carbon credits. The account would allow individuals to surrender credits when purchasing electricity, heating fuel, and petroleum. Personal Carbon credits would also be used for public transportation. Those who sell their extra credit would benefit by lowering their carbon footprint, which is of course, the entire point of personal carbon credits.