Measuring carbon proxies
When it comes to measuring carbon emissions for digital services and products, the task at hand involves more than just tallying numbers. It requires a clear understanding of what precisely needs to be measured. The challenge lies in establishing the boundaries of our measurement – deciding what factors to include or exclude in our calculations.
In the world of environmental accounting, the concept of “boundary” refers to the scope of emissions that an organization or system aims to account for. This is where the GHG Protocol [13], a widely recognized standard, comes into play. The GHG Protocol provides guidelines for organizations to measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions.
Within the protocol, emissions are categorized into three scopes:
- Scope 1: These are direct emissions that originate from sources owned or controlled by the organization...