Scope
Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into three groups known as ‘Scopes’ which are the internationally used tool, defined within the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Definitions and activities encompassed by each scope can be found in Table 2.
|
Greenhouse Gases Emission Scope |
Definition of Scope |
Activities |
|
Scope 1 |
Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organisation |
Gas for heating Council buildings Fuel consumption from council fleet Air conditioning leaks |
|
Scope 2 |
Indirect emissions (owned) produced by consuming purchased energy from a utility provider |
Electricity for building use |
|
Scope 3 |
Indirect emissions (not owned) produced from Council activities but at sources not owned or controlled by the Council |
Staff business travel Transmission and distribution losses within supply chain Well to Tank (WTT) emissions during energy production Waste disposal |
- Scope 1 are “direct emissions” as they result from us generating greenhouse gases as a regular part of our day-to-day activity. For example, it includes the gas we burn onsite to heat our offices and swimming pools as the CO2 is released locally.
- Scope 2 are “indirect emissions” as they result from the energy we purchase to undertake our day-to-day work. For the council this includes the electricity purchased from the Grid, where the generation of greenhouse gases is by an energy company at another location.
- Scope 3 are also “indirect emissions” though this time includes all activities not part of Scopes 1 and 2 but which still have an environmental impact. This includes things such as, purchased goods, business travel to meetings or waste disposal. Scope 3 generally has the biggest contribution to a carbon footprint.