Decarbonisation - what is it and why is it important?

Decarbonisation was one of the major topics at COP27 - a topic we take seriously at Remarkably.

A plan to accelerate the decarbonisation of five major sectors – power, road transport, steel, hydrogen, and agriculture – was presented by the COP27 Presidency.

Governments representing over half of the global GDP, including the United States and the United Kingdom, set out a 12-month action plan with 25 collaborative actions to be delivered by COP28 to help make clean technologies cheaper and more accessible everywhere.The plan has emerged as part of the Breakthrough Agenda, an initiative launched last year during COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Source: news.un.org

‍Direct action to decarbonise our planet has been lacking - despite pledges and master plans by governments. But we can all do our bit to reduce carbon emissions.

‍

Decarbonisation - what it means

The process of decarbonisation means to reduce and compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions being produced. Examples of ways to decarbonise include offsetting, tree-planting, energy efficiencies and extraction technologies.

Through partnering with Ecologi, Remarkably have supported numerous offsetting activities around the world, including projects using waste biomass to produce electricity in Chile, landfill gas extraction in Turkey and providing clean energy through hydropower in Uganda.

When fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas with the highest levels of emissions in the atmosphere. They contribute significantly to global warming and, as a result, climate change. It’s vitally important businesses and countries work to decarbonise their activities, in order limit global warming to under 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

So, in a nutshell, we must all take action now to decarbonise the planet.

"Net-zero is considered the benchmark standard for decarbonisation."

"Put simply, net-zero means we are not adding new emissions to the atmosphere," says the United Nations, which is coordinating the global Race to Zero campaign.

The aim is to achieve this by 2050 - at the latest.

‍

Which areas of decarbonisation are being discussed at COP27?

'Decarbonising high emitting sectors is critical to mitigate global warming. Oil & Gas, Steel and Cement are three of the most carbon-intensive industries, their direct emissions representing more than 1/4 of global CO2 emissions.'

Throughout the day, support for global initiatives in these sectors will be discussed and best practices shared.

The emissions from the Oil & Gas industry alone account for more than 10% of global CO2 emissions, so it is critical that ways they can decarbonise - including improving energy efficiency, reducing methane leaks and using renewable power - are agreed upon, with hard-set timelines.

Read more on the COP27 Thematic Day page.

‍

And what happens if we don't take rapid and decisive action?

Sea levels will rise, coral reef ecosystems will be vulnerable to disease, wildlife habitats on land will be compromised and we will experience frequent extreme heat waves and flooding - a severe escalation in what communities around the world are experiencing already.

‍

Which steps are we undertaking to decarbonise our business.

We're proud to be a B Corp business and are committed to sustainable working practices. Our London HQ is fully decarbonised, eliminating our need for fossil fuels.

How?

We have invested in a fully electric heating and hot water system.

It's run on 100% sustainable, renewable energy and is efficient too - producing what we need, only when we need it.

Our studio is lit by energy efficient LED lighting.

We offset all air travel, run an electric car fleet and go out of our way to use green transport and deliveries where possible.

We've also pledged to plant 1 million trees by 2030 - so far, we’ve planted over 215,000 trees in our Remarkably forest and reduced over 640 tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 1,922m2 of sea ice saved.

This is what we’re doing, today, to do our little bit, to save our planet. For us this isn't a choice. It's a business imperative. What will you do?

To join our efforts you can plant trees in our Remarkably forest.

‍

How can you take action now?

‍

1. Knowledge is power - the first item to address is calculating the business’ carbon footprint, to establish a start point and future goals. Companies should gather data over a 12 month period from their emission-releasing activities, including:

 i) Electricity use: Total kilowatt-hours used from electricity bills.

 ii) Natural gas use: Total kilowatt-hours used from gas bills.

 iii) Water supply: Total water supplied in cubic metres from water bill.

iv) Water treatment: Total water treated in cubic metres from water bill.

v) Fuel used in company-owned vehicles: Litres of fuel purchased from invoices and receipts (more accurate) or vehicle mileage from vehicle logbooks/odometers (less accurate).

vi) Employee passenger travel: Employee receipts for details of travel and distance calculation websites to obtain flight, rail, and road distances.

vii) Waste disposal/recycling: Tonnes of waste-to-landfill and recycled from waste collection provider.

(Source: sage.com)

This combined data can then be multiplied by the emissions factor to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of the business over a certain timeframe. Here’s one online calculator to help with the maths

Once a company has its starting point, it will be able to scrutinise where emissions can be reduced, offset or even eliminated and also begin to track progress over future months and years.

‍

2. Switch to a green energy supplier - this is a useful service that facilitates switching.
‍

3. Reduce all types of waste - water, energy, food, time - businesses need to take these urgent steps now and can use their carbon footprint knowledge to know where to start.
‍

4. Make efficient home-working viable and reduce commuting. Practical ways to facilitate this include supporting employees with flexibility and technology to allow home working and encouraging carbon-friendly modes of transit when they do need to come in. A lot of companies - Remarkably included - also offset employee emissions through companies like Ecologi.
‍

5. Work with financial service providers with strong policies on green investments. The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association is the leading membership organisation for sustainable and responsible finance in the UK. It brings together banks, fund managers, financial advisers, data providers, charities, asset owners and more, who offer sustainable products and services. Search for its members here.

‍

"Co-operate or perish" were the stark words in the keynote speech at COP27 from UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

For the present, the future and for our precious planet, we're firmly committed to positive communication and co-operation and we remain Remarkably resolute in our beliefs.

Follow the daily COP27 agenda and its other thematic days' discussions at the UN Climate Change YouTube channel