There are multitudes of different ways to reduce carbon emissions in a complex operation such as an airport. Not all will be applicable for all airports and it is not possible to list them all in the guidance documentation.
Emissions reductions measures broadly fall into two areas:
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Do or use less of whatever it is that causes the emissions
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Change the technology used to “do” or “deliver” whatever is being used so that emissions are reduced
An example of the first is to drive fewer miles by planning routes better; or using less heat by fitting automatic external doors in a cold climate.
An example of the second is to switch from conventional diesel to bio-diesel in a vehicle fleet; or replace conventional boilers with bio-mass boilers; or fit solar thermal hot water panels to the roof to deliver hot water at lower emissions.
Airport Carbon Accreditation encourages all types of emissions reduction. Renewable energy sources contribute emissions reductions in the same way that energy saving contributes emissions reductions.
7.18RENEWAL with an increase in emissions As detailed in section 6 and section 7, to participate at Level 2 and above airports must demonstrate an on-going reduction in their Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint against a three-year rolling average. However, there may be circumstances beyond an airport’s control under which an airport cannot readily demonstrate a continuous downward trend in emissions. In some cases, an airport may have an increase in one year despite an overall downward trend in emissions. It is recognised that extreme climatic conditions (e.g. cold winters in the North or hot summers in the south) or other unpredictable, force majeure or unique factors (e.g. international sporting events, implementation of complex and costly infrastructure or other projects) may lead to a temporary stabilisation or increase in emissions.
Therefore, airports are allowed 1 deviation per 4-5 year period from the time of Level 2 or Level 3 participation to the target year, subject to a clear evaluation process, including submission of detailed evidence, and to the final approval of the Board itself.
An airport contemplating this approach should undertake the following actions:
Contact the Administrator in the first instance, prior to submitting an application. Assess (if relevant) whether it can calculate temperature corrected figures for any or its entire infrastructure and can assess the effect of this on performance. Using established calculation methodologies (for example, those based on the ‘degree days’ at the airport’s location); the airport must demonstrate which factors (climatic or other) are responsible for an increase in emissions. The airport must provide the Administrator with documentary evidence to support this claim, including a description of how the airport was / would take steps to get back on track i.e. achieve real and tangible year on year emissions reductions in future. The Administrator will then review the material and determine whether there is a case for a limited deviation. If so, the Administrator will formulate a recommendation to the Advisory Board, who would take the final decision. Depending on the outcome, an airport could appeal the Board’s decision based on the procedures described in Section 3.4.4. Note: If in the following year the airport cannot demonstrate a reduction in emissions, it will not be able to renew its accreditation at Level 2 or above.
8Carbon Management – Including Examples
This section provides GUIDANCE on how to undertake carbon management and what is recommended. The Application Assessment Form also details more specific participation requirements.
In summary, airports must demonstrate that the minimum criteria for carbon management, as detailed in Section 5, have been fulfilled at the airport. This is achieved through the provision of supplementary documentary evidence where this is available in English, or confirmation from the airport’s verifier that the relevant documentation has been reviewed. It is acknowledged that existing management systems may be in place at airports that address all or some of the requirements for a carbon management plan. For example, an airport may incorporate the management of some greenhouse gas emissions sources within an accredited EMAS or ISO 14001 environmental management system. In such cases, provided suitable documentary evidence is available within the existing system, this will be sufficient as evidence to demonstrate that the appropriate management infrastructure is in place. To avoid unnecessary duplication of this information, it will not be necessary to submit a separate carbon management plan in these circumstances.
8.1An Example of Carbon Management
An effective carbon management plan should contain a number of key elements as shown in the diagram below, and which are described in more detail in the following sections:
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Management commitment and organisational structure
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Energy / Carbon policy
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Business case development and prioritisation / cost-benefit analysis
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Setting objectives and showing continuous improvement in chosen metrics
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Key performance indicators, monitoring and benchmarking
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Implementation plans
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Training, awareness and communication
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Self-assessment / auditing.
An airport may choose to design and implement their management plan as part of a wider Environmental or Sustainability Management System for example in line with ISO14001 or EMAS. The terminology and methodologies used in this guidance are designed to be consistent with these internationally recognised standards. Reference should also be made to the GHG Protocol definitions and guidance on emission reductions.
Example framework for a carbon management plan
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