Home > Publications > Newsletters > Issue 1, August 2007

Welcome ..... to the first edition of carboNZnewz

My first editorial for the relaunched carboNZero newsletter is unashamedly personal and I hope that it will inspire you to make it your personal issue to take action to reduce your impacts on climate change at home and at work.

I was taught about the so-called ‘greenhouse effect’ in 1969 by an inspirational teacher, Professor Peter Martin, at the University of Adelaide. His job was to teach a group of budding ecologists about genetics and evolution. He chose to share with us his concerns about the trends in the data on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels emerging from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

I went on to London with my nine month old son to study for a PhD. I was incredibly lucky to work in various science teams on projects that produced the evidence needed to change European policy and make a difference in improving the environment. Dilution of pollution in the ocean is no longer acceptable; the acidification of lakes in northern Europe has been reversed; and river management has moved from hard engineering solutions to applying ecological principles. I am proud to have played a small part in those achievements.

So I am not surprised to find myself working on another project that aims to make a difference. What I am surprised about is how long it has taken for concern about climate change to get on the policy agenda and reach the public. The majority of you will still be alive in 2050 so climate change will affect your families within your lifetimes. I am not yet a grandmother so I have every expectation that I will still be banging on about taking action to reduce emissions in 2050.

Our newsletter will focus on practical action that you can take at home and at work with examples drawn from near and far to inspire you and keep you up to date with international best practice. We consulted you on what you wanted to hear about in our newsletter and we were delighted with your response. We have used this feedback to create the first edition of carboNZnewz and we will continue to seek your feedback to shape future editions.

In this issue, we cover the progress of the carboNZero team and the growth of the programme. We explain emissions factors and how we calculate greenhouse gas emissions from the data that you put into the carboNZero calculators. We also outline carbon credits and the projects that create them as well as providing information on ‘greenwash’ and how to avoid it. These two stories focus on the evidence that you can use to inform your decision-making on both sides of the ‘carbon balance sheet’.

In future issues, we will tell you more about what we at Landcare Research and in the carboNZero team are doing to ‘walk the talk’ at home and at work. More importantly, we’d like to tell your stories as we know that many individuals and organisations in New Zealand are taking outstanding actions at home and at work to reduce their impacts on climate change.

Professor Ann Smith
Technical Manager
carboNZero Programme

 

Phenomenal growth of the carboNZero programme

Over 350 organisations and individuals are now signed up to our carboNZero programme – with interest doubling in recent months.

Recently we have seen an incredible increase in demand for information about our carboNZero programme, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon credits and the Kyoto Protocol.

Concern about climate change and its social, economic and environmental implications has been growing steadily since the release of Al Gore’s movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ in May 2006 and the publication of the ‘Stern Review’ in October 2006. Prime Minister Helen Clark put carbon neutrality firmly on the agenda for New Zealand in her opening address to Parliament in February 2007.

Of course all this interest has resulted in major changes for the carboNZero team itself.

Twelve months ago the team consisted of 1.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff but since then, the team has been expanded to 10 FTEs. This expansion allows us to meet and retain the high service standards that our expanded client base expects.

The team now comprises enquiries manager Bonnie Schaab, sustainability advisors Sam Bridgman, Scott Fraser, John Shortall and Stephen Burgham led by senior sustainability advisors Stu McKenzie and Martin Fryer with technical manager Professor Ann Smith. They are supported by business manager Mike Tournier, systems manager Guy Harris, and team PA Mary Smith.

The carboNZero programme has come a long way from a restaurant table in 2000 where a group of Landcare Research scientists used a serviette to map out a concept that joined up our skills in measuring greenhouse gases with our responsibilities for restoring New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity.

The concept was simple and elegant. We knew of willing companies that wanted to measure and take responsibility for their greenhouse gas emissions. And we knew of willing landowners that wanted to put land aside to regenerate native forest but needed compensation for the lost income that would result. Willing buyers and willing sellers – a voluntary market was created.

Along with a growing business comes an increasing media profile. We’ve had extensive exposure across print, radio and television outlets and recently Ann Smith was interviewed for the TV series ‘Business is Booming’, due to be aired in several weeks.

 

Early adopters key to carboNZero programme

The success of the carboNZero programme owes much to early supporters who helped us develop the sophisticated certification programme that we have today.

The New Zealand Wine Company, producers of Grove Mill and Sanctuary wines, is the first company in the world to offer carbon neutral wine and has become a dedicated advocate for the programme. Some 30 vineyards and wineries are currently consulting us about carboNZero certification.

There are now more than 10 organisations and events that can claim to be carboNZero certified and another 40 are actively working towards certification.

In February, Meridian Energy announced their carboNZero certification at the annual National Power conference and since then has actively promoted the carboNZero programme through television commercials, billboards and advertisements in many different publications.

In March, Contact Energy made a commitment to reduce their emissions by one million tonnes by 2014 and challenged the electricity industry to reduce emissions by 40 percent. They have measured their full footprint, gained carboNZero certification for corporate operations, adopted the carboNZero household calculator and offer incentives for their staff and customers to take action.

In May, Intercity Group involved the Prime Minister in their announcement of their journey towards carbon neutrality. Their corporate operations are carboNZero certified and they have ambitious plans going forward to involve all their services.

Urgent Couriers and Antipodes Water are the most recent companies to achieve carboNZero certification. Both have included all their operations and are able to offer their products and services as carbon neutral. We are delighted to have assisted four major events, in as many months, to be carboNZero certified: the Fourth Commonwealth Local Government Conference (March), Tourism Rendevous New Zealand – TRENZ 2007 tradeshow (May), the 31st session of the World Heritage Convention (June), and the Transit NZ Conference: Transport – the next 50 years (July).

But many more organisations, small businesses, events, households and individuals participate in the carboNZero programme without going through an external audit to become certified. They use the online carboNZero calculators to measure, manage and mitigate their carbon footprints. Some 50 small businesses and around 300 individuals participate in this way.

 

Emission factors . and changes in recording

The carboNZero programme calculates emission factors from a variety of sources.  Where possible, the programme seeks to align those with international best practice (such as Kyoto Protocol reporting).  However, the carboNZero programme provides calculations for activities that are not monitored in the national GHG inventory. Therefore, it has been necessary to develop emission factors outside of these procedures. But the programme also draws on data based on internal research, and industry published data.

A recent review against international best practice has resulted in a number of updates for the calculation period starting 1 July 2007. Most updates are minor - the most significant change is the calculation international air travel emissions. Overseas calculators apply multipliers of 2 and 3 to this calculation and after thorough research, we concluded that a multiplier of 1.9 should be applied to the existing emissions factor. This accounts for new knowledge on aviation emissions.

The underlying variables used to derive each emission factor are likely to continue to change over time.  We regularly seek advice and information from the relevant New Zealand government departments and monitor international best practice to ensure that the emissions factors that we use are kept up-to-date. 

  

Emission factors used in the carboNZero programme are updated and reviewed regularly.

How do we work out your carbon footprint?

There are six greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆). The GHGs vary in their potency or impact on the atmosphere and they are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e). For example, methane is 21 times more potent than CO₂, so one tonne of methane is expressed as 21 tonnes CO₂e. For most individuals, households and small businesses, CO₂ is the main GHG emitted from their activities.

To establish your carbon footprint we use data from your GHG sources and emissions factors. These are most often a single number that is multiplied by your GHG source data to give your total emissions as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. For example, the petrol emissions factor that we currently use is 2.297 kg CO₂ per litre of petrol consumed.

 

Carbon Credits

The carboNZero programme aims to use carbon credits that are high quality, verified, and from New Zealand projects. Currently, we source the carbon credits that you use to offset your remaining unavoidable emissions from the EBEX21 project (Emissions-Biodiversity Exchange for the 21st century) and from the government scheme Projects to Reduce Emissions (PRE).

The EBEX21 project creates carbon credits through native forest regeneration sites, which are located throughout New Zealand. The carbon credits result from the absorption of CO₂ by trees and shrubs often referred to as forest sinks. To qualify as an EBEX21 site, there must not be forest on that land prior to 1990 and landowners have to meet a number of stringent rules including additionality, permanence, and verification. Additionality means that the landowner could not have afforded to put the land aside without the income from the carbon credits. To create an effective carbon dioxide sink, the trees must be allowed to reach maturity so the landowners are required to enter into a legal agreement as part of their land title that they will not harvest the trees for at least 99 years. Regular field site assessments are conducted to measure how fast the trees are growing and thus determine how many carbon credits are available to sell. The EBEX21 project is independently audited to verify the carbon credits created by the pool of participating landowners.

Pictures of the projects can be seen on www.ebex21.co.nz/ebex_members.asp. The credits meet the requirements of the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI) run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol.

PRE projects also have to meet the Kyoto rules on additionality, permanence and verification. Before we offer credits from these projects, we check that the project has been validated and the credits verified by an independent audit. We offer credits from windfarm and landfill gas projects. Windfarms are able to create carbon credits because the electricity that they generate avoids the use of fossil fuels. Landfill gas projects have a double benefit as they destroy methane and generate electricity.

 

Greenwash

The credibility and integrity of the carbon credits that we offer through the carboNZero programme are vital to us and our clients. Recently, there has been a lot of negative press about carbon offsets and it is important that our clients are aware of the business risks known as ‘greenwash’.

The five types of ‘greenwash’ that companies may wish to avoid include:

• Sponsoring or supporting staff, customer or communitiy initiatives to reduce emissions but the company itself not ‘walking the talk’
• Promoting emissions reduction results but not explaining them in the context of the full footprint of the company
• Not knowing where the money for the carbon credits has gone; some projects rely on forward funding but later verification has found that the projects have failed or have not happened
• Not knowing whether the carbon credits purchased are equivalent to the emissions being offset
• Offsetting alone without reducing emissions – this is perhaps the most criticised action.

A relevant example of perceived ‘greenwash’ is some tree planting projects. They are now subject to criticism because these projects can result in additional emissions from all the people traveling to the site to plant the trees. Furthermore, few projects have long term management plans and even fewer are assessed to work out how much CO₂ is being absorbed or sequestered over time.

In a recent case taken up by the UK Advertising Standards Authority, Scottish and Southern Energy was found to have misled the public through their donation of money to a tree planting project. The company claimed that it had offset all their emissions but they did not know how many trees had been planted and the project did not measure CO₂ sequestration.

 

The carboNZero Programme and the Kyoto Protocol

New Zealand is a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol which aims to reduce global GHG emissions by 5% over the first commitment period, 2008-2012. The European Community is aiming to reduce emissions by 20% and the Stern Review warns that a reduction of 60% is needed to make a difference. New Zealand’s GHG emissions have risen by 21.3% between 1990 and 1995 and are continuing to rise. New Zealand will only meet its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to return to 1990 levels of GHG emissions if there are significant reductions in the these emissions. Offsetting alone will not get us back to 1990 levels and is an increasingly expensive solution.

This is why the carboNZero programme is based on three guiding principles: Measure to understand what your emissions are and what you can do about them, Manage to avoid and reduce emissions, and then if you want to go to zero, Mitigate your remaining unavoidable emissions by purchasing carbon credits from high standard projects. 

We have many tips on the website that describe what you can easily do to reduce your emissions at home, at work, between places and on holiday. Many of these options will save money and add value to your business.  See www.carbonzero.co.nz/reduce_emissions.asp for more details.

 

In this month’s top five links, we feature Australian stories

Emissions reduction technology: Agrichar Trials – Soils Offer New Hope As Carbon Sink
Science Daily — The huge potential of agricultural soils to reduce greenhouse gases and increase production at the same time has been reinforced by new research findings at NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) Wollongbar Agricultural Institute in Australia.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070601095052.htm

Carbon credits: Plantations an eco-greenwash
The Sunday Telegraph – A leading environment group has questioned the value of planting trees to offset greenhouse emissions and suggested some programs are simply ‘greenwash’.
www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,21785722-5009640,00.html

Business opinion: Business warms to climate change
The Australian – Most business leaders are worried about climate change and believe companies have the main responsibility in tackling the problem, a survey has found.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22099957-601,00.html

Emissions trading: Australia’s emissions trading scheme sets no cap, no date
Environment News Service – The Australian government will begin work on a greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme with analysis of a long-term goal for emissions reduction, Prime Minister John Howard announced today. The government's A$637 million plan sets no cap on emissions nor does it set a date for when the trading of emissions credits will begin.
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-17-03.asp

Individual action: The Big Switch
Concerned about climate change? Turn your thoughts into action with The Big Switch. Make simple lifestyle changes. Urge politicians to lead with vision. Solutions start here with The Big Switch.
www.thebigswitch.org.au

 

ISSN 1178-3990

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