Book extract

New edition: Essentials of environmental management

by Paul Hyde and Paul Reeve
£30 softback 312 pages
ISBN 978 0 901357 48 9

5.2.9 Addressing carbon
Perhaps one of the most important issues affecting all organisations is that of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, especially given the world’s current dependency on fossil fuels and consequent emissions of CO2. It is now widely regarded as the most pressing global environmental problem.

This issue has been dealt with in a number of chapters in this book, including 1.3, 1.4, 2.4, 4.2 and 5.1. With the rapidly developing agenda on climate change (see Table 5.2.3), it will become increasingly
important for all organisations to have a greenhouse gas management strategy (addressing CO2 equivalent) as part of their environmental management policy.

Figure 5.2.7 sets out some of the key elements of a greenhouse gas management strategy. Essentially, the approach follows that of the ‘plan, do, check and act’ cycle, which is the basis of an EMS. However,
important in this approach is an understanding of the organisation’s carbon footprint (see Chapter 5.1) as a basis for action. External reporting on the strategy and performance (including constraints encountered in its implementation) can also be an important element.

Actions may differ between different types and sizes of organisation, or between different parts of the same organisation. In some areas it might be possible to prevent emissions through changing a process, eg to avoid venting methane. In other areas the focus might be to reduce emissions through a range of energy reduction or efficiency measures – both behavioural (ie how people use and waste energy) and technological (eg controls that ensure only the right amount of energy is used for a job, or high efficiency equipment). In others, it might be appropriate to install ‘low to no carbon’ renewable technologies, eg solar electricity or solar heating. Furthermore, some actions may need to be investigatory – for example, to properly understand a source of emissions, to explore the feasibility of different technologies, or to identify sources of products with lower embodied carbon.

Read more 

How to order

To order your books:
• phone +44 (0)1787 249293
• download our order form and fax it to +44 (0)1787 248267
• email our distributor