Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report

Revised reporting method for Green House Gas (GHG) emissions - the internationally recognised standard for corporate accounting and reporting of GHG emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have requested that, as from July 2011, Local Authorities report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in such a way as to align with the GHG Protocol - the internationally recognised standard for corporate accounting and reporting of GHG emissions. This replaces the previous national Indicator NI185 reporting previously used.

Since 2008/9 the Council has reported carbon emissions from its own estate and operations in order to monitor progress in meeting its target of a 12.5% reduction by 2014, compared to the baseline year of 2008/9.

To ensure that this target is met the Council has produced a Carbon Management Programme to address climate change at a local level and acknowledge international and national targets on carbon dioxide reductions.  The Action plan identifies a number of areas where the Council can save carbon and save money by good management, energy saving and green energy projects.

GHG emissions data

The new form of reporting takes into account the whole range of GHG arising from our estate and operations, not only carbon dioxide emissions. A range of different conversion factors have had to be used; the resultant figures will be expressed as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

The use of up-to-date conversion factors, combined with other factors which account for the decreasing carbon intensity of grid electricity, means that there are some small differences when comparing the previous style report to this new GHG report.

The following tables and supporting explanations will follow a standard format prescribed by DEFRA/DECC in its formal technical guidance: Guidance on how to measure and report your greenhouse gas emissions. (DEFRA website). 

The guidance uses the most widely accepted approach to identify and categorise emissions-releasing activities into three groups.  The three scopes are:

Scope 1 (Direct emissions): Activities owned or controlled by your organisation that release emissions straight into the atmosphere. They are direct emissions. Examples of scope 1 emissions include emissions from combustion in owned or controlled boilers, furnaces, vehicles; emissions from chemical production in owned or controlled process equipment.

Scope 2 (Energy indirect): Emissions being released into the atmosphere associated with your consumption of purchased electricity, heat, steam and cooling. These are indirect emissions that are a consequence of your organisation's activities but which occur at sources you do not own or control.

Scope 3 (Other indirect): Emissions that are a consequence of your actions, which occur at sources which you do not own or control and which are not classed as scope 2 emissions. Examples of scope 3 emissions are business travel by means not owned or controlled by your organisation, waste disposal, or purchased materials or fuels. Carbon dioxide produced from the combustion of biomass / biofuels should be reported separately to emissions in scopes 1, 2, and 3. Carbon dioxide produced from biomass / biofuels not as a result of the combustion of biomass / biofuels (e.g. industrial fermentation) should be reported within the scopes.

The 2010, 2011 and 2012 Torridge District Council GHG reports are attached on the right hand side of this page.