VectorMine / Shutterstock.com Voices | Responsibility Your emissions relationship doesn't have to be 'complicated.' Dating Coach Wimbush explains what Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions are and how they account for your carbon footprint. By Elizabeth Wimbush IN TODAY’S CLIMATECONSCIOUS WORLD, businesses are under increasing pressure to account for their carbon emissions. But what exactly does carbon accounting entail, and why is it so crucial? Let me attempt to unravel the carbon accounting concept. With so many factors to consider, it can be complicated subject to wrap your mind around, so let's focus on our relationship with the numbers side of sustainability. Understanding Carbon Accounting Carbon accounting consists of three key pieces: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. To simplify, imagine each scope as someone you met in your dating years and how they represent a different aspect of a business’s carbon footprint. Scope 1 emissions are emissions from sources that a company owns or controls, like on-site fuel combustion or company-owned vehicles, and which can be directly attributed to your operations. If Scope 1 was a person, it would be “The Needy Ex” – always in your face, demanding attention. Scope 1 emissions are direct and unavoidable, just like the constant texts. Moving onto indirect emissions, Scope 2 covers those generated from purchased electricity, heating or cooling. It’s like the secondhand smoke of carbon emissions – not directly produced by you, but still impacting your *cough* carbon footprint. Scope 2 as a person would be “The Indirect Flirt.” You haven’t really had much direct contact – maybe they were friends with your roommate’s cousin’s ex-boyfriend? – but their actions still impact your life from a distance. Scope 3 is where things get interesting – and complicated. Scope 3 emissions encompass all indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain, including everything from business travel and employee commuting to supply chain activities. They are not precisely part of your operations, but they still contribute to your overall footprint. If Scope 3 were a person, they’d be “The Mysterious Stranger,” that person you remember meeting at a party who somehow ended up being part of the periphery of your life in unexpected ways. Carbon Dating 28 • MAY 2024 • PPAI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==