{"id":384,"date":"2024-06-11T09:35:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T08:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/climate-action\/?p=384"},"modified":"2024-06-11T09:35:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T08:35:53","slug":"carbon-jargon-buster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/2024\/06\/11\/carbon-jargon-buster\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon Jargon Buster"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever get lost in carbon jargon? Read our placement student Vasudef's blog, where he simplifies carbon terminology. You may discover a new term!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you come across phrases that many companies are using nowadays about their environmental impact, such as \u201cwe've pledged to be net zero by 2050\u201d? You might have a good idea of what it means, or you might not have a clue. This blog post can equip you with the necessary knowledge to figure out which companies and institutions are genuine about their climate policies, and those who might be sharing greenwash.<\/p>\n

Greenhouse Gases<\/h1>\n

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Greenhouse gases surround the Earth and keep it warm. If there were none in the atmosphere, then it would be too cold for us to live, with an average temperature of -20\u00b0C! However, since the industrial revolution, we have released a lot more greenhouse gases in addition to the ones already in the atmosphere \u2013 we r<\/span>eleased the equivalent of 53.85 billion tonnes<\/a> of <\/span>car<\/span>bo<\/span>n<\/span> dioxide (CO<\/span><\/span>2<\/sub>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>) in 2022<\/span>. This includes <\/span>car<\/span>bo<\/span>n<\/span> dioxide, water vapour, <\/span>methane<\/span> and nitrous oxide (amongst others). <\/span>Car<\/span>bo<\/span>n<\/span> dioxide is the most common gas emitted <\/span>as a result of<\/span> human activity, so when people say '<\/span>car<\/span>bo<\/span>n<\/span>', it usually means greenhouse gases collectively.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carbon Footprint<\/h1>\n

A carbon footprint refers to someone\u2019s (or something\u2019s) total greenhouse gas emissions in a given time period (usually a year). We each have a carbon footprint and by understanding it, we can reduce our personal impact on climate change. If you\u2019re interested to find out yours, I\u2019d recommend this footprint calculator<\/a>, which is a super easy and quick tool to use.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for organisations to calculate their carbon footprint too. Here I\u2019ve shared a breakdown of the University\u2019s 2022-23 footprint:<\/p>\n

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If you would like more information on the breakdown, I highly recommend looking at the Climate Action Annual Report<\/a>, where you can read into the nitty-gritty of the footprint (and also find out why the emissions increased from last year). As shown above, the bar graphs show that the University emitted about 130 ktCO2<\/sub>e last year, while the pie chart shows the breakdown of the footprint. The e<\/em> in the \u201cktCO2<\/sub>e\u201d stands for equivalent, which means that a mixture of greenhouse gases have been released to the atmosphere, but the impact it has on the earth is equivalent to this amount of carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n

Scopes 1, 2 and 3 Emissions<\/h1>\n

When you hear about carbon footprints, you might also hear mention of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. The three different scopes refer to different types of emissions.<\/p>\n

Scopes 1 and 2 refer to emissions that are produced from fuel sources. Gas and electricity fall <\/span>within <\/span>these 2 scopes. The difference between them is that Scope 1 <\/span><\/span>comes from direct University activities (any fuels we consume on site), and Scope 2 is any energy that <\/span><\/span>we <\/span>purchase<\/span> and receive from outside the University.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And Scope 3 is\u2026. everything else. For the University, it can include a range of things, including, for example, students taking the bus to campus, purchasing lab equipment and staff travel overseas for conferences. The list can be very exhausting. Looking at the bar charts above, notice how the gas, fuels and electricity in red and orange (Scopes 1 and 2) make up only a small fraction of the graph, while the supply chain and travel (Scope 3) make up the majority of emissions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important that the University has set these targets to ensure that the University is doing its part to tackle climate change. Most UK universities have set targets to reduce these remaining emissions by certain years. The University\u2019s net zero targets are as follows:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Net Zero in Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, and halve our Scope 3 emissions in that time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Net Zero in all scopes by 2040<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Net Zero<\/h1>\n

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    You might have heard this term a lot, or even seen the big sign in front of the SU declaring the University\u2019s commitment to reach net zero, but what does this actually mean?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    An institution that has declared to be \u2018net zero\u2019 has committed to ensure that the emissions they release are equal to the emissions that they remove from the atmosphere. The idea is that the net amount of emissions released into the atmosphere would be zero. There are many different ways that organisations can achieve this goal and it can be a bit contentious, as well as being open to greenwash. Below are some key things to look for that can indicate if an organisation is genuine about being net zero:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n