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Tag: carbon footprints

  • Working Remotely Can Cut Your Carbon Emissions By Half: Report | Entrepreneur

    Working Remotely Can Cut Your Carbon Emissions By Half: Report | Entrepreneur

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    Working remotely? You could be helping the environment.

    A recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that those who work from home full-time generate less than half the greenhouse gas emissions than their office-based counterparts. Employees working exclusively from home in the U.S. were estimated to reduce their emissions by 54%, the study found.

    Working remotely one day a week only resulted in a 2% emission decrease, largely due to increased non-commuting travel on remote workdays. On the other hand, those working remotely two to four days a week saw emissions reductions of up to 29% compared to on-site workers.

    Related: 6 Meaningful Ways to Reduce Your Company’s Carbon Footprint

    The study analyzed various datasets, including Microsoft employee commuting and teleworking behavior, and was conducted by researchers from Cornell University and Microsoft. The primary contributors to emissions reduction among remote workers were decreased office energy use and fewer emissions from daily commutes.

    While remote work has the potential to reduce carbon footprints, the study underscores the need for a balanced approach, carefully considering commuting patterns, energy consumption, vehicle ownership, and non-commute-related travel to fully maximize the environmental benefits of remote work.

    “People say: ‘I work from home, I’m net zero.’ That’s not true,” Fengqi You of Cornell University, a report co-author, told The Guardian. “The net benefit for working remotely is positive but a key question is how positive. When people work remotely, they tend to spend more emissions on social activities.”

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    Madeline Garfinkle

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  • How to Choose Carbon Credits That Actually Cut Emissions | Entrepreneur

    How to Choose Carbon Credits That Actually Cut Emissions | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Across industries, businesses are taking drastic action to minimize their environmental impact — from slashing carbon emissions to utilizing recycled materials to minimizing corporate travel. Carbon offsets have become a major tactic for forward-thinking companies looking to meaningfully reduce their climate impact.

    The voluntary carbon market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2020 to roughly $250 billion by 2050, indicating its immense viability to deliver meaningful climate solutions.

    However, for the industry to achieve its full potential, companies need clarity and transparency in the process of selecting carbon credits. For companies looking to meaningfully reduce their carbon footprint, there can be concern and confusion over picking the “right” credits — those that actually deliver the impact being paid for. The voluntary carbon markets lack clear standards, which can make it challenging for businesses that want to do the right thing to navigate.

    Related: The Carbon Credit Market Could Grow 50X Bigger: How One Pioneering Platform Is Meeting the Demand

    What are carbon credits?

    It’s crucial that companies make major strides in reducing the carbon that they produce. However, there will inevitably come a point when organizations have reduced their total emissions as much as possible. In order to bridge that carbon gap, companies rely on carbon credits — which represent the removal or protection of carbon by others.

    Companies purchase carbon credits from projects that draw down legacy carbon trapped in the atmosphere and protect existing stores of carbon from being released – both of which are needed to reverse the climate crisis.

    For instance, the crops of the globe’s two billion smallholder farmers naturally pull down carbon from the atmosphere, storing it back in the soil. Using sensors, satellite imagery, AI and regular monitoring, this stored carbon can be tracked and quantified then sold as a carbon credit.

    Most companies purchase carbon credits via the voluntary carbon markets, which are fast-emerging as a vital tool to help companies achieve their climate targets. While these carbon credits are a proven tool for offsetting emissions, there are a multitude of options that vary in quality and impact.

    Why carbon credits?

    Risk is the biggest driver in business and — with trillions of dollars in annual climate-related costs and damage – the climate crisis is fast becoming a business crisis. Corporations must act now to minimize losses, illustrate meaningful climate action to shareholders and comply with fast-approaching climate regulations.

    Carbon credits are an important approach to scaling climate action globally and are a fast-growing strategy for delivering on corporate ESG goals. While these offsets are part of nearly every scenario that keeps global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, legacy carbon markets lack broad public trust: Impactful carbon solutions require clear guidelines and proven, verifiable data.

    Delivering transparency via data

    In selecting carbon credits, consider the data:

    • What kind of data is provided — Is it clear who is responsible for carbon sequestration (i.e., smallholder farmers), and how they’re doing it (i.e., through the crops of their regenerative farms?
    • How is carbon removal calculated?
    • Who is verifying the data — Is it a third-party entity?
    • Is the carbon data auditable (this is especially important for public companies in light of fast-approaching SEC climate disclosure rules)?

    Businesses need auditable, transparent climate and social impact data to convey their actions to key shareholders.

    Without transparency about where carbon comes from, the positive and negative impacts of how it’s being captured and stored, and how it’s being calculated, there is a tremendous corporate risk for faulty carbon credits.

    Investors should turn to carbon credits that allow them to track the sourcing of their credits back to the specific farm and community they came from, and that robustly quantify how those communities are benefiting from the carbon markets.

    Climate justice: Merging social and environmental impact

    While legacy carbon markets rarely have focused on socio-economic impacts, the burgeoning generation of carbon markets will prioritize both social and environmental impact in their models. In action, these carbon credits will benefit the environment while equitably compensating those responsible for the carbon sequestration. Often, these carbon stewards are among the most vulnerable populations – including smallholder farmers, women and indigenous communities.

    When buying carbon credits, ensure that carbon stewards are equitably compensated by asking some basic questions of those selling carbon credits:

    • What language do they use to discuss the partnership with carbon stewards?
    • Is their data auditable?
    • Is the financial model of carbon credits disclosed? Are carbon stewards paid equitably and in a timely manner?
    • Is socioeconomic improvement data shared with investors according to accepted third-party standards?

    Incorporating social and environmental impacts into the next generation of carbon markets can further enhance their value, potentially benefiting vulnerable communities that play a key role in carbon sequestration. A well-designed carbon credit protocol can financially incentivize carbon stewards to bolster their future work – which increases the positive socio-economic and environmental impacts for generations to come.

    Other tactics for carbon removal

    Mechanical carbon capture comes in the form of big machines that effectively suck carbon dioxide out of the air to store, either by putting it underground or repurposing it in other ways. While mechanical carbon capture is promising, this technology is largely still in its infancy, enormously expensive, and still proving its ability to scale.

    Related: Blockchain Could Help Us Combat Climate Change — Here’s How.

    The time is now

    Forecasts now show that the planet will hit a threshold of 1.5C in global temperature change by 2027, which is far sooner than ever expected and carries the potential for massive damage, loss of human life and trillions of dollars in incurred damages for the global economy.

    This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We must engage proven, reliable, and equitable methods to meet what may be the greatest threat to the future of humanity and the planet we inhabit. Carbon credits, when implemented responsibly and at scale, can be a very effective tool for humanity to use in the fight to limit the damages from climate change. However, the industry’s growth hinges on increasing transparency and standardization to ensure that carbon credits truly deliver the promised impact.

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    Josh Knauer

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  • The Carbon Credit Market Could Grow 50X Bigger: How One Pioneering Platform Is Meeting the Demand | Entrepreneur

    The Carbon Credit Market Could Grow 50X Bigger: How One Pioneering Platform Is Meeting the Demand | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Major airlines, consumer brands, and even oil companies like BP and Shell are committing to zero net carbon emissions over the next several decades. EthicStream is giving them a way to prove they’re reducing their carbon footprints by selling carbon offset credits.

    This market is estimated to reach $550B by 2050, and you can invest in their company as they aim to kickstart the global market phenomenon.

    But first – what are carbon offsets? And why are they not all created equal? This should give you an idea of why investing in EthicStream is such a unique opportunity right now.

    The world needs quality carbon offsets.

    Carbon offsets represent one ton of carbon dioxide that has been saved from being released into the atmosphere. They measure the amount of carbon either avoided or removed from the atmosphere via projects like reforestation, renewable energy, etc.

    It would be simple if carbon credits were all it took to run a sustainable business. But unfortunately, no two carbon credits are alike. Some low-quality carbon credits can be earned by polluting slightly less than expected, while others come from genuine carbon-offsetting projects.

    EthicStream does the latter and we’ll talk about how shortly.

    The important thing with quality carbon offsets is that we can know when businesses trading them are tangibly helping the environment, providing more than “lip-service.” And EthicStream is making that possible.

    Here’s what puts EthicStream’s carbon offsets are in a league of their own.

    EthicStream is miles ahead of competitors.

    What makes EthicStream offsets high-quality? It all centers on their partner, CarbonEthic.

    CarbonEthic is a well-established carbon offsetting firm with nearly a century of experience in forestry and ecology. They specialize in high-quality credits that are verified to meet or exceed international standards with sequestration and reforestation projects.

    Due to the nature of their relationship, EthicStream is able to purchase these credits from CarbonEthic at a discount then sell them at a market rate.

    With companies like Apple, Burger King, Facebook, Ikea, and more, all committing to net-zero emissions sometime between 2030 and mid-century, carbon offsets will play a vital role in brokering more environmentally sustainable business operations.

    And EthicStream is making that a reality.

    They are the only company that can get high-quality carbon offset credits from CarbonEthic at a discount. Others may raise money to stream and trade credits, but they have no supply – instead, they are burning cash trying to find projects to invest in. Meanwhile, EthicStream already has a supply baked-in.

    Now, here’s how you can become a shareholder in this company before the market really takes off.

    The EthicStream investment opportunity.

    The carbon credit market is expected to continue growing over the coming years, as countries and businesses around the world make net-zero carbon commitments. EthicStream is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this growth, as they have already secured a discounted supply of high-quality credits from CarbonEthic.

    This advantage will allow EthicStream to quickly expand their business and capture more of the growing market ahead of everyone else. EthicStream also has the knowledge and experience to invest in projects outside of CarbonEthic’s forest projects, further increasing their reach and potential for profit.

    To sum it all up, a carbon-offsetting future is inevitable at almost all levels of commerce, making EthicStream an attractive investment opportunity for anyone looking to strengthen their portfolio while helping the planet.

    Learn more about the EthicStream investment opportunity here.

    *Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for EthicStream’s Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular at www.ethicstream.co

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    StackCommerce

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  • Digital Ads Are Destroying Our Planet and We Need to Act Now.

    Digital Ads Are Destroying Our Planet and We Need to Act Now.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The average consumer may not realize how much power goes into placing the targeted ad they see online every day. So for many, the hidden impact of digital advertising may come as a surprise: Digital advertising has a massive carbon footprint. A typical digital-ad campaign for a single brand can produce hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide. In the U.K., for example, an average digital ad campaign emits over 5.4 tons of CO2. To put that number in perspective, this accounts for one-half of one consumer’s annual emissions in the U.K. and over one-third of carbon emissions from fossil fuel per capita in the U.S.

    The world is failing to reach the Paris Agreement’s target to limit the rise of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in a multitude of ways, so you might be wondering: Why do we need to pay special attention to the amount of CO2 emissions contributed by online advertising specifically? Well, one reason seems obvious: such emissions often go unacknowledged.

    Like it or not, the global online advertising industry has a massive influence on everyone, making us all part of the problem. Aside from being a powerful driver of our frequently excessive (and wasteful) shopping habits, the mere daily viewing of multiple search ads, banners, interstitials and video pre-rolls, in addition to hundreds of the so-to-speak digital-out-of-home ads (on the streets, in shopping malls and elsewhere) has a massive impact on the global carbon footprint.

    Just think about it: A footprint of one short email is estimated at 0.3 grams of CO2, and this number can grow up to 17g for a longer version, according to Mike Berners-Lee’s research. And how many of those do you get every day? Tens, if not hundreds, and counting.

    And while the jury’s still out on whether we can make online advertising carbon-neutral, this key question remains: What actual steps do we need to take to get closer to this goal?

    But first, let’s define what carbon neutrality actually means.

    What is carbon neutrality?

    To put it simply, carbon neutrality implies the amount of carbon emissions is balanced with the amount of absorbed emissions by natural carbon sinks (e.g. rainforests).

    So to count as a carbon-neutral company, a business needs to demonstrate its amount of emitted greenhouse gasses are being negated by the amount of adsorbed gasses, either by reducing the number of its emissions or by purchasing the so-to-speak carbon offset credits — in other words, permits to emit a specific amount of greenhouse gasses, like CO2.

    Identifying the sources of emissions in the digital ad supply chain

    The first step in reducing digital ad emissions is to identify the main sources of these emissions in the digital ad supply chain. When it comes to online advertising, aside from the travel costs, the key sources of emissions include data transmission, data center and device usage in each of the following:

    • The production of ad creatives — from equipment rental to post-production and crew travel.
    • Programmatic ad transactions — defined as the automated buying and selling of online advertising space — play a huge role in the production of carbon emissions. For example, WPP, the world’s largest investor in media advertising, reports that 55% of its current carbon emissions come from the programmatic supply chain that delivers campaigns on behalf of its clients.
    • Ad targeting and measurement — this includes the selection of audience segments, uploading the audience segment to the advertising platform, and the continuous tracking of ad performance by multiple scripts on websites.
    • The delivery of ads across desktop and mobile web, connected TVs and mobile apps — for instance, streaming a one-minute video on a 50-inch LED TV in the U.S. reportedly results in 0.98g CO2 emissions, whereas watching the same video on one’s smartphone reduces the carbon footprint by almost six times.

    So, what are the possible solutions to reduce digital ad carbon emissions, and who should act on it?

    Advertisers need to drive change

    While every member of the advertising supply chain needs to do their part towards achieving carbon neutrality, brands and media agencies need to take an extra step, specifically in online ad production and media planning areas.

    Namely, the scope of actions may include:

    • The localization of ad production so it’s closer to the team’s location to reduce travel-related carbon emissions.
    • The use of 3D modeling animation instead of video shooting to minimize the CO2 emissions produced by production crew travels and utilized equipment.
    • The production of short video ads, instead of long ones. As a general rule, the shorter the video, the less the file weighs, and the less server load its delivery and streaming require. This, in turn, should result in reduced CO2 emissions by viewers’ devices, data transmission and data centers.
    • A reduction of the size of image ads. Similarly to video ads, the lighter the image file, the fewer CO2 emissions it emits.
    • The upcycling of existing media creatives by tweaking old video and image ads instead of creating new ones to curtail carbon footprint.
    • The delivery of ads during non-peak times in order to balance off-peak server load, which usually requires extra power consumption and results in larger CO2 emissions.

    On a broader scale, making a positive change also implies a shift in the perception of brand safety, that is, adding sustainability benchmarks to the picture.

    First, this involves defining the brand purpose and actually investing in the promotion of carbon-conscious behavior among the company’s customers.

    Second, this means optimizing for or even adding extra incentives for carbon-efficient publishers and ad tech partners (i.e. being willing to pay a higher price for placing ads on carbon-efficient websites, spending more money on carbon-efficient video ad servers, etc.), hence driving the further transformation of the entire ecosystem.

    And third, this requires the maximization of return on CO2 emissions, in addition to ROI. In other words, brands need to strive for the maximum reduction of carbon emissions, while maintaining overall advertising efficiency. For instance, a company may choose to target smartphone users with short video ads (e.g. 5- or 10-second long) instead of longer ones, which happen to perform better in the mobile segment.

    Related: 4 Ways Smart Maps Can Help Your Business Keep Its Social Promises

    But real change cannot be achieved without digital ad consumers

    While the majority of top-tier brands — like the members of the World Association of Advertisers (WFA) — have already made their Planet Pledge, and tech giants such as Microsoft and Google have reaffirmed their sustainability commitments, actual positive change would not be impossible without digital ad consumers.

    Even though most businesses’ carbon-neutrality promises sound ambitious, chances are the reported data is being miscalculated, misrepresented or both. It’s up to us, the consumers to keep them accountable, by doing the following:

    • An analysis of climate pledges that have already been made. You can do this by reviewing the brand’s website and other digital resources to find out which promises on CO2 carbon footprint reduction have already been made.
    • Continuously monitoring progress achieved. For example, check if the brand publishes regular reports on how it has been reducing carbon emissions in the past quarter, year, and so on.
    • Staying alert for the greenwashing red flags. A company that doesn’t share granular data on emissions, or keeps the message brief, like “We’ve cut emissions by half and now we’re carbon-neutral” are all common signs of greenwashing.
    • Being ready to leave, if the expectations haven’t been met. You might find out your favorite brand has been caught lying or misrepresenting its data on CO2 emissions multiple times. Taking a stand by quitting the use of its products or services ensures they’re being held accountable for deceptive and unethical marketing practices.

    Ultimately, it’s up to each of us to make our own carbon-conscious decisions, when it comes to our media perception, ad consumption and our shopping habits. If we don’t, we’ll pay an even greater price.

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    Anton Liaskovskyi

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  • 4 Things That Must Change for the Future of Sustainability

    4 Things That Must Change for the Future of Sustainability

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    It’s a bold statement, but it’s true: Without mining, there is no path to sustainability. The resources required to support modern life and the production of new technologies will come from responsible mining. Thus, mining will ultimately drive the global movement to meet sustainable development goals focused on improving the quality of life for all people. It’s a tall order, but it’s not impossible. However, some things will have to change to meet the ever-increasing demand for natural resources:

    Related: Why Mining Should Be on the Radar for Entrepreneurs Interested in Sustainability

    1. Lack of education

    There’s a massive disconnect between the public’s perception of mining and its desire for progress. People want electric cars, clean energy and new smartphones every year. You can’t have these without raw materials, which come from mining the earth. To meet the future demand for materials like copper, cobalt and lithium, mining outputs will have to increase by up to 500% over the coming 30 years.

    Mining is necessary for our survival but dangerous if not done correctly. The mining industry has made great strides in recent decades to improve its operations and increase overall efficiency to ensure the safety and well-being of people and the environment. However, uninformed public perception and over-politicization can lead to counterproductive policies and regulations. The result is endless red tape that prevents the development of new mining operations that the world greatly needs. It currently takes over a decade just to permit a new mine in the US. We can’t afford such crippling delays, which are born from ignorance rather than informed decision-making. Promoting education and advocacy for better understanding of mining’s role in sustainability is key.

    Mines create jobs and fuel the growth of local economies, not only for the lifecycle of the mine but for generations. The key is ensuring stakeholder participation at the community level that is supported by sound governance and strong institutions. With greater public support, mining can continue to advance and become the catalyst for the truly sustainable development of our societies.

    2. Poor policies

    The delays caused by poor policy are bad enough, but the current political and regulatory climate surrounding mining has even greater negative impacts on a global scale. Because it is so difficult to mine legally, we now see widespread illegal mining operations worldwide. These operations are extremely harmful; they destroy pristine natural locations, disregard environmental concerns, risk global stability and are rife with human rights violations.

    Even when politicians understand the issues around mining policy, the political backlash of supporting a more pragmatic approach makes them hesitant to act. This hesitation is understandable, but it puts political interests above the well-being of their constituents. Mining has become a political football for both sides of the aisle, and this cannot continue. We must review government policies regularly to ensure this industry can continue to support modern life now and in the future.

    Related: What Is Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and Why Does it Matter?

    3. Not embracing the future

    Mining also needs to fully embrace emerging technologies, such as machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, to optimize water and energy use, minimize waste and support further exploration. It will continue to be more difficult to extract the materials we need, as the most easily accessible resources have largely been extracted. We’ll have to dig ever deeper into the earth for the resources we need, and as we go deeper, the environment becomes more hazardous for humans. That’s where AI, machine learning and autonomous machines can mitigate risk and improve efficiency.

    We are innovating, to be sure — one good development is our ability to extract minerals from mining waste, for instance.

    4. Forced labor

    Forced labor in mining is a horrible reality, specifically in countries with less-than-stellar human rights records. With the advantages that low labor costs bring, certain nations have allowed predatory actors to gain access to the market of mining, processing, smelting and refining of our natural resources. Children, the poor and other disadvantaged populations are most at risk.

    Developed countries have to take a strong stand against these practices. Only by working together can we end these inhumane practices for good and ensure mining operations are done responsibly in all corners of the world.

    Related: Create Meaningful Sustainable Development Outcomes Through Innovation

    We have a powerful incentive to improve mining operations. The future of mining is bright, but that will come with work. If we want to keep providing the building blocks of modern civilization, these things need to change. The benefits are beyond question — we can elevate the poor through minerals and metals, giving them access to electricity and clean water. It’s possible to eradicate poverty without giving up civilization while still pursuing clean energy goals. Above all else, health and education are most essential for the sustainable development of humanity. They are the foundation for healthy civilizations, and mining can help us get there.

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    Ed Macha

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