carbon footprint and ecological footprint

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Gabriella Chiellino eAmbiente Srl Carbon footprint and Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint Ecological Footprint

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Lezione tenuta dalla dott.ssa Gabriella Chiellino, AD eAmbiente Srl, presso l'università di Yaoundè - Camerun.

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Page 1: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Gabriella ChiellinoeAmbiente Srl

Carbon footprint and Carbon footprint and Ecological Ecological FootprintFootprint

Page 2: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint
Page 3: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

CO2 and Global warming

Global climate changeIncreased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere since the revolution industry.

The temperature riseIt represents one of the most important indicators that we are living beyond the capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbances.

Decreased emissionsAn effort by the productive sectors to reduce emissions and the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is vital to combat climate change in progress.

Page 4: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Consumption of resources

Population is growingSince XX century population is growing quickly.

Life style is changingIn Europe and America expecially, people are living beyond the capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbances.

Resources are scarceTo make goods we need to use resources that are not always renewable.

Page 5: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

The differences

CARBON FOOTPRINTAssessment throughout the life cycle of a product / process related to the impact category "global warming " (in terms of CO2 eq.)

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTThe ecological footprint is a statistical index used to measure request for human nature and its factories. It relates the human consumption of natural resources with the earth's capacity toregenerate them.

WATER FOOTPRINTThe WF is a geographically explicit indicator showing volumes of water consumption and pollution and the locations

Page 6: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

First part: Carbon footprint

CARBON FOOTPRINT

FIRST PART

Page 7: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Applicable law

Screening study Complete studyunder the rulesUNI EN ISO 14040:2006 UNI EN ISO 14044:2006

EPD Environmental Product Declaration

Time + internal resources for data retrieval

Testing a possible third body on internal methodology

Certification of a possible third body in accordance with standard

Comunication

Comunication / Ecodesign

Comunication

Page 8: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Carbon markets

BINDINGThe trading of greenhouse gas emissions has been established through the EU Directive 2003/87/EC to fulfill their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.Annex I of Directive:•Combustion installations exceeding 20 MW•Petroleum Refineries•Coke ovens•Etc.

VOLUNTEERThere are independent verification and validation services to voluntary projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for the issuance of VERs (Verified Emissions Reductions), or "emission reduction units".

Objective: environmental communication

Page 9: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

What happended with CO2?

The whole life on earth is based on photosynthesis of chlorophyll:

Reactions during which green plants produce organic substances -mainly carbohydrates -from carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of light. This series of chemical reactions within the anabolic processes (synthesis) of carbohydrates and is totally opposed to the reverse process of catabolisi (oxidation).

Reaction of the molecules6 CO2 (carbon dioxide) + 6 H2O (Water) + light → C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 O2 (Oxygen)

Page 10: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

And then?

The “food chain” or “net chain” (better) provides to feed animals and the uman:

Page 11: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Dynamic balance

The CO2 cycle on earth (but also water cycle, nitrogen cycle etc.) are in dynamic balance during the years.

Only with other sources not renewable (fossils) this dynamic balance is altered with many pollution problems.

Page 12: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Carbon footprint: measure

CF measures the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2 equivalent).Production

ActivitieskWh energym3 waterMaterials / resources

AdministrativekWh energym3 methane

TransportationKm covered

WasteKg produced

Processing tonnes of CO2 equivalent

SimaPro 7.3.0. Analyst

Page 13: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Carbon footprint: measure

Processing

Method of calculation

Categories of impact

Mid-PointEvaluate the causes of the

damage

End-PointEvaluate the

damage

Acidification Eutrophication Global Warming Thinning of the ozone layer Photochemical oxidation Land use Fossil Fuels Ecotoxicity Ionizing radiation

Human Health Ecosystem quality Decay of natural

resources

SimaPro 7.3.0. Analyst

Page 14: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Example of results

Explanation of categories

 Decay of natural

resources  Ecosystem quality  Human health

The results are expressed as:

Equivalent unitsCO2 eq.kg SO2 eq.kg CFC-11 eq.

"Eco-points"Normalized equivalent units around them, with a percentage of the total European currency.

Example with different kind of beverages

bottles!

Page 15: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Reduce and compensate emissions

The calculation of carbon footprint provides tons of CO2 equivalent produced in a year

The Company may decide to reduce emissions with a reduction plans (technological improvements, logistics etc.).

So they may decide to compensate (offset) for remaining emissions (in part or entirely).

Total CO2

CO2

reduced

CO2 offset

A number of tonnes of CO2

Page 16: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Projects

Project Choice

Purchase of credits corresponding

1 ton = 1 credit

Emissions offset

Publication on the register

Cancellation of debt certificates

Environmental Communication

Forest managemet Energy saving

Biogas from landfills

1 ton = 1 credit Public Register Credits Certificates

Page 17: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Our experience

Calculation of CO2 equivalent

Projections of the reduction with improvement initiatives

Communication on the company website and 1.000.000 of paper carnet

Withdrawal of claims and posting to register eCO2care

Calculation of CO2 equivalent to 20 emitters

Page 18: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Second part: Ecological footprintFirst part: Carbon footprint

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

SECOND PART

Page 19: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Introduction

It measures the area of biologically productive land and sea needed to regenerate the resources consumed by a human population.Using the ecological footprint, it is possible to estimate how many virtual "Planet Earth" is needed to support humanity if everybody lived according to a certain lifestyle.

Page 20: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

First approach

Page 21: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

In detail

To calculate the ecological footprint of men’s consumption (goods,cereals, meat, fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers, legumes, etc.) you put in report the amount of each good consumed with aconstant yield in kg / ha (kilograms per hectare).The result is a surface.

Page 22: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

We have different behaviour

Page 23: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

The situation: our world

Density of world’s population

Effective growth and forecast of world’s population

Page 24: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Why is it important?

We need to do green choices

Scenarios

Page 25: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Methodology Overview

The 2010 National Footprint Accounts use over 5,000 data points for each country, each year, derived from internationally recognized sources to determine the area required to produce the biological resources a country uses and to absorb its wastes, and to compare this with the area available.

Biocapacity is measured by calculating the amount of biologically productive land and sea area available to provide the resources a population consumes and to absorb its wastes, given current technology and management practices.

Equivalence factors, and the specific land use types included in the Ecological Footprint: cropland, grazing land, fishing ground, forest land, carbon uptake land, and built-up land.

DATAREPORT

EQUIVALENCE FACTORS

Page 26: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Methodology Overview

An example of methodology of calculation

Page 27: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Report

Regarding some studies, even with modest projections for population growth, consumption and climate change, by 2030 humanity will need the capacity of two Earths to absorb carbon dioxide waste and keep up with natural resource consumption.

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Standard’s path

Global Footprint Network has released the Ecological Footprint Standards 2009 and has begun the 2012 Standards update process.

The 2009 Standards build on the first set of internationally recognized Ecological Footprint Standards, released in 2006, and include key updates – such as, for the first time, providing standards and guidelines for product and organizational Footprint assessments.

Ecological footprint is still a young method

Page 29: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Problems

Both the Carbon Footprint and the Ecological footprint must develop to comply on a global level, so that the results are actually comparable.

The drafting of standards goes in this direction, although it is also necessary to standardize the methodology of data collection, processing not only of themselves.

Page 30: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Future

Environmental problems need to be measured and possibly solved with effective methods.

Carbon footprint and Ecological footprint, using their indicators can direct us to take effective action to minimize impacts and changing lifestyles, and industrial production.

Page 31: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Second part: Ecological footprintFirst part: Carbon footprint

WATER FOOTPRINT

THIRD PART

Page 32: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint

The Water Footprint (WF) is a measure of human appropriation of freshwater resources

•Blue WF refers to consumption of blue water resources (surface and ground water). •Green WF is the volume of green water (rainwater) consumed, which is particularly relevant in crop production. •Grey WF is an indicator of the degree of freshwater pollution and is defined as the volume of freshwater that is required to assimilate the load of pollutants based on existing ambient water quality standards.

The WF is a geographically explicit indicator showing volumes of water consumption and pollution and the locations

Page 33: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint

Page 34: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint - Product

• the volume of fresh water used to produce the product

• summed over the various steps of the production chain. when and where the water was used: a WF includes a temporal and spatial

dimension

Page 35: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint - Consumer

the total volume of water appropriated for the production of the

goods and services consumed equal to the sum of the water footprints of

all goods and services consumed dimensions of a Water Footprint

(Volume, where, when, Type of water use)

Global average Water Footprint: 1385 m3/yr per capita

Countries United Kingdom

Italy Cameroon Kenya USA Canada Japan France Germany

Average Water Footprint(m3/yr per capita)

1258 2303 1245 1101 2842 2333 1379 1786 1426

Part of footprint falling outside of the country

(%)

75,2 60,7 5,4 17,4 20,2 20,7 76,9 46,3 68,8

Page 36: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint - Nation

Water footprint of national consumption total amount of water that is used to produce the goods and services consumed

by the inhabitants of the nation. two components:

internal water footprint – inside the country. external water footprint – in other countries.

Water footprint of national consumption =

= water footprint within the nation + virtual water import – virtual water export

Page 37: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint - Nation

Page 38: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint

Rappresentation of virtual water balance per country and direction of gross virtual water flows related to trade in agricultural and industrial products over the period 1996-2005.Only the biggest water savings (> 5 Gm3/yr) are shown.

Page 39: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint

Rappresentation of global water savings associated with international trade in agricultural products (1996-2005). Only the biggest water savings (> 5 Gm3/yr) are shown.

Page 40: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint - Business

Operational water footprint the direct water use by the producer – for producing, manufacturing or for

supporting activities Supply - chain water footprint

the indirect water use in the producer’s supply chainvirtual water import – virtual water export

total volume of freshwater that is used directly and indirectly to run and support a business

temporal and spatial dimension: when and where was the water used. three components:

green: volume of rainwater consumed blue: volume of surface or groundwater consumed grey : volume of polluted water

Page 41: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Water Footprint

Page 42: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF and CF

Water footprint and carbon footprint are complementary tools

Water footprint Carbon footprint

measures freshwater appropriationspatial and temporal dimensionactual, locally specific valuesalways referring to full supply-chainfocus on reducing own water footprint(water use units are not interchangeable)

measures emission GHGno spatial / temporal dimensionglobal average valuessupply-chain included only in ‘scope 3 carbon accounting’many efforts focused on offsetting(carbon emission units are interchangeable)

Page 43: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF and LCA - CF

For companies, water footprint assessment and LCA are complementary tools.

WF assessment is a tool to support formulation of a sustainable water management strategy in operations and supply chainLCA is a tool to compare the overall environmental impact of different products

WF is a general indicator of water use; application of WF in inventory phase of LCA is one particular application.

Water footprint Life Cycle Assessment

measures freshwater appropriationmulti-dimensional (type of water use, location, timing)actual water volumes, no weighing

measures overall environmental impactno spatial dimensionweighing water volumes based on Impacts

Page 44: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF Assessment

In general, the approach is based on:

And the assessment…

Page 45: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF Assessment

Sustainability of the

cumulative

water footprints in

different catchments

Sustainability of theWFs of specific processes

Sustainability of theWFs of specific products

Page 46: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF Assessment

Step 1 – Sustainability Criteria

Environmental Environmental flow requirements

Environmental green water requirements Ambient water quality standards

Social Basic human needs – min. drink-water, food security, employm. Rules of fairness – fair allocation, water user & water polluter

principle Economic

Efficient allocation and use of water

Page 47: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF Assessment

Step 1 - Environmentale Flow requirements

Catchment level

Monthly level

Generic rule of thumb: 80% of natural runoff, on a monthly basis

Use data from generic global methodology, but replace with better studies give better local estimates

Page 48: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF Assessment

Step 2 – Hotspots

Environmental sustainability criteria Green water footprint < available green water Blue water footprint < available blue water Grey water footprint < available assimilation capacity

If we consider the Grey WF criterion:

Grey Water Footprint < runoff Assimilative capacity non fully used

Grey Water Footprint = runoff Fulle assimilative capacity of the river used

Grey Water Footprint > runoff Pollution exceed the assimilative capacity of the envorinment

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WF Assessment

Step 3 - 4 – Primary and secondary impacts

Primary impacts Changes to hydrology Changes to water quality

Secondary impacts Effects on abundance of certain species Effects on biodiversity Effects on human health Effects on employment Effects on distribution of welfare Effects on income in different sectors of economy

Page 50: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

ISO Standard on WF

• Water Footprint: Requirements and Guidelines”• International standard for water footprinting (ISO 14046)

This International Standard specifies requirements and guidelines to assess and report Water Footprint based on LCA

• Terminology, communication

• Important stages to consider

• Consistency with ISO 14000 series including environmental metrics such as Carbon footprint, LCA (ISO14040), Greenhouse Gases quantification and communication (ISO14064, ISO 14067) and Environmental communication (ISO14020)

• Review/Validation

• Reporting

• Towards industry and practitioners

Page 51: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

ISO Standard on WF

The proposed International Standard will deliverprinciples, requirements and guidelines

for a water footprint metric ofproducts, processes and organisations

based on the guidance ofimpact assessment as given in ISO 14044

It will define how the different types of water sources (for example ground, surface, lake, river…) should be considered, how the different types of water releases should be considered, and how the local environmental conditions (dry areas, wet areas) should be treated.

For products: it will apply the life cycle approach and will be based on the same product system as specified in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

For organisation: it will consider the guidance given by ISO 14064 for GHG The standard will also address the communication issues linked to the WF

Page 52: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Shared responsability

Consumers or consumer or environmental organizations push businesses and governments to address water use and impacts along supply chains

Some businesses act voluntarily in an early stage, driven by

consumers or investors

Governments promote businesses in an early phase and implement regulations in a later phase

Governments, companies, consultants and accountants use same standard definitions and calculation methods

International cooperation, through UN and other institutions...

Page 53: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Current Development

• Increasing communication on waterPublication of « Water Footprint » results of products in the news,…

• Increasing demand for standardsE.g., “The company said it was the world’s first food company to add an H2O label to

product packaging and that it had developed its own calculation model because no internationally established formula and product label yet exists. […] we need to ensure that there are consistent standards across the board,” - Carbon Footprints to Water Footprints (The New York Times, April 17 2009)

• Multitude groups active in water World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Water Footprint Network (WFN) UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) World Resource Institute (WRI) Water Environment Federation (Water Quality) ...

Page 54: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF reduction and offsetting

Reduce

Reduce by avoid: do not undertake water - using activities altogether

Reduce by improved production: replace one technique by another technique that results in a lower or even zero Water Footprint

Offset

Compensate the residual water footprint by making a reasonable investment in establishing or supporting projects that aim at a sustainable, equitable and efficient use of water in the catchment where the residual Water Footprint is located

Page 55: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

WF reduction and offsetting

Page 56: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Ultimate perspective

  Agricolture Industry

Green WF

Decrease greenwater footprint (m3/ton) by increasing green water productivity (ton/me) in both rain - fed and irrigated agricolture. Increase total production from rain - fed agricolture

Not relevant

Blue WF

Decrease blue water footprint (m3/ton) by increasing blue water productivity (ton/m3) in irrigated agricolture. Decrease ratio blue/green water footprint. Decrease global blue water footprint (e.g. by 50%)

Zero blue water footprint: no losses trough evaporation - full recycling - only blue water footprint related to the incorporation of water into a product cannot be avoided

Grey WF

Reduced use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides; more effective application. Grey water footprint can go to zero through organic farming

Zero grey water footprint no pollution - full recycling, recapturing heat from heated effluents and treatment of remaining return flows

Page 57: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Reducing humanity WF

Consumers

Reduction of the direct Water Fooprint

•water saving toilet, shower-head, etc.

Reduction of the indirect Water Fooprint

•substitution of a consumer product that has a large water footprint by a different type of product that has a smaller water footprint

•substitution of a consumer product that has a large water footprint by the same product that is derived from another source with smaller water footprint

Ask product transparency from businesses and regulation from governments

Page 58: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Reducing humanity WF

Companies

Shared terminology & calculation standards

Product transparency•water footprint reporting / disclosure•labelling of products•certification of businesses

Quantitative footprint reduction targets – benchmarking

Reduction of the operational water footprint•water saving in own operations

Reduction of the supply-chain water footprint•influencing suppliers•changing to other suppliers•transform business model in order to incorporate or better control supply

chains

Page 59: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Reducing humanity WF

Investors

Reduce risk of investments:

•physical risk formed by water shortages or pollution•risk of damaged corporate image•regulatory risk•financial risk

Demand accounting and substantiated quantitative water footprint reduction targets from companies

Page 60: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Reducing humanity WF

Governments

Embed water footprint assessment in national water policy making

Promote coherence between water and other governmental policies

Reduce the own organizational water footprint•reduce the water footprint of public services

Promote product transparency

•support or force businesses to make annual water footprint accounts and to implement water footprint reduction measures

•e.g. through promoting a water label for water-intensive products•e.g. through water-certification of businesses

Page 61: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

International cooperation

International protocol on water pricing

Minimum water rights

Tradable water footprint permits

Water - labelling of water-intensive products

Water-certification of industries and retailers

International nutrient housekeeping

Shared guidelines on water-neutrality for businesses

Page 62: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

Initiatives

Page 63: Carbon footprint and Ecological Footprint

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