Somewhat dramatically, many scientists and observers are determining that we are entering the “carbon age,” as we all become much more aware and reveal the need to be sustainable in our everyday operations. Organizations have to create a whole new position for themselves as they dedicate themselves to the impact that carbon will have on their operations. Carbon emissions management is now a very real process.
The traditional measurements deployed and maintained through IT systems and asset management programs will be clearly insufficient in the new carbon age. Carbon emissions management will be required and for many organizations this is a completely new philosophy. The performance of corporate assets have rarely been measured in terms of the real energy that they use, rather in terms of efficiency in relation to the cost of the purchased energy itself.
Carbon emissions management requires an asset owner to calculate the associated greenhouse gas emissions created as a consequence of the assets being used. At this point in time, carbon may itself not have a direct and tangible cost, but we are seeing a trend toward this outcome in many areas of the developed world.
When a “cap and trade” scheme is initiated to try and contain greenhouse gas emissions, carbon emissions management becomes a critical component of the business structure. In this case, an organization is judged according to the amount of energy that is recorded against it and by simple calculation a volume of carbon emissions associated is revealed. An overall nationwide cap on the amount of carbon emissions that can be emitted means that suddenly, carbon has itself become a tradable commodity.
An organization may live and die according to the strength of its balance sheet and a new entry is now required within, in the form of carbon. Carbon emissions management will provide us with figures necessary to allow an organization to improve upon a baseline and with such a sophisticated system in place, no longer will business executives be in the dark.
Carbon emissions management should be a welcome additional business tool for the corporate executive. At the very least, it will help to pinpoint inefficiencies in asset use and consequent energy consumption and as energy is always one of the largest costs of any business, operating costs will be driven down.
It goes without saying that the first rule for the business executive is to educate. Before carbon emissions management can be put into play, a baseline situation must be revealed. Be aware that in the United Kingdom a trading scheme is in the process of introduction and in the years ahead organizations in that country will be forced to trade for the right to emit carbon as a consequence of doing business. Many imagine that this kind of trading scheme will be introduced by other principal governments around the world.
We are far from being able to rely on alternative energy forms, such as the solar, wind or nuclear. We are heavily reliant on traditional forms of energy and thus, whether you believe that we are entering a carbon age, or believe that this is all a figment of someone’s imagination, it is certain that energy efficiency and sustainability is of paramount importance to your business.
Daniel Stouffer has a lot of information about carbon emissions management and how a visit to www.verisae.com will benefit you.
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