GHG and Carbon Management

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater are joined by Mr. Philip Gass, International Institute for Sustainable Development. Philip reflects on Carbon Policy in Canada after COP21 in Paris. This conversation was recorded in Seoul, Korea.

Michael Gillenwater is just back from COP-21 in Paris. Don Bain followed the agreement from afar. Listen in on their discussion of first impressions. Look for more detailed analysis in future episodes. Read the agreement for yourself at http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf. Check out the excellent coverage of the event and development of the agreement at http://parisagreement.org/. We want to hear from you. Please email podcast@ghginstitute.org .

A tax on greenhouse gas emissions, a.k.a. carbon tax, is one policy mechanism for addressing climate change. The Canadian Province of British Columbia implemented a carbon tax in 2008 and reports of experience with it are now in papers and the press. Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater discuss the tax and some of the lessons learned. Michael points out some of the implementation challenges. Details of the tax are available at http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/tbs/tp/climate/carbon_tax.htm. Press articles include http://grist.org/climate-energy/what-we-can-learn-from-british-columbias-carbon-tax/ and http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/07/british-columbias-carbon-tax. We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater respond to posted comments and emails from you. We are very grateful to our listeners for taking the time to contact us. We want to hear from you. Please email podcast@ghginstitute.org

Get ready! The Greenhouse Gas Accounting Standards Council, GHG-ASC, is coming. Don and Michael go over the features of an exciting new organization dedicated to recognizing leading GHG accounting practice in companies. Recorded 1 April 2015, a formal announcement will come after details are finalized and key positions filled. Email podcast@ghginstitute.org for questions or more information.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater discuss a personal carbon dilemma – should I fly or should I drive? A recent trip prompted Don to try 5 different on-line carbon calculators for air travel when trying to compare the carbon intensity of airline travel versus travel by auto. The carbon calculators gave surprisingly different results for the same air travel data. Michael gives an overview of Radiative Forcing in the context of emissions from air travel. Want a more scientific look into carbon calculators for air travel? We highly recommend Carbon Offsetting & Air Travel, Part 1: CO2-Emissions Calculations, by Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane. We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater visit Washington, D.C. in January 2015. The conversation takes place at the same time the new GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, http://www.ghgprotocol.org/scope_2_guidance, is being announced a few miles away. Our hosts reflect on their respective efforts to raise concerns about some features of the new guidance. See https://scope2openletter.wordpress.com/ for a full explanation. This podcast is the first ever with Michael and Don in the same room at the same time. The location was the beautiful campus of Gallaudet University, http://www.gallaudet.edu, a bilingual (English and American Sign Language) and inspirational university dedicated to preparing its graduates for, among other things, a “rapidly changing world.” We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org . You can now find us on Stitcher at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/greenhouse-gas-management-institute-2/greenhouse-gas-management-institute-podcast?refid=stpr . While http://ghginstitute.org/podcasts is home for this podcast, we host the audio on https://soundcloud.com/ghgmipodcast and list the podcast at iTunes.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater have a conversation about the joint U.S. – China announcement on climate change. Michael gives historical perspective to help understand the agreement. Don goes into the scale of the Chinese commitment, and gives context by imaging how many wind (160,000+ turbines) and solar systems (42+ million rooftop) will be required. Think of the industrial stimulus! The United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26%-28% below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%. China intends to achieve the peaking of CO2 emissions around 2030 and to make best efforts to peak early and intends to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20% by 2030. We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org .

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater venture into a discussion on Climate Change Adaptation. This follows Don’s observations from the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index annual meeting, November 5, 2014, in Washington, D.C. See http://ndgain.org and http://index.gain.org/. We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org . Listeners have suggested a shorter format for the podcast and we listen! This episode is our first attempt to keep to a budget of 30 minutes or so. Some topics will take longer, but we will aim most conversations to this shorter format. Help us get noticed by more people by entering a review at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ghgmipodcast/id848502541?mt=2 .

Don reports observations from a public comment meeting hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the subject of the proposed Clean Power Rule. Michael and Don discuss the boom in hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and some of the implications as we think about climate change. We love listener feedback and ideas. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org . (Photo: drilling rig in the Eagle Ford Shale, Texas, 2013 by Don Bain)

Almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. And, all foods are not equal in terms of their carbon footprint. Michael Gillenwater and Don Bain discuss the relative carbon impact of the food choices we make. The conversation is more personal and less technical than other episodes. We also give a shout-out for our first-ever listener feedback. We’d love to hear from you too. Email us at podcast@ghginstute.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new rule, the Clean Power Plan, to regulate greenhouse gases from the production of electricity. Michael Gillenwater and Don Bain discuss some features of the proposed rule and describe an outline of how the rule is to be implemented. Each has done independent analysis of the proposed rule and offer opinions of the challenges of implementing it.

After Don Bain visits 5 universities in the U.S., he and Michael Gillenwater reflect on the state of environmental curricula in universities at the dawn of the Anthropocene. Their anecdotes address the extent to which climate change and carbon management are represented in education today. Michael's "around campus" segment addresses GHG Institute's activities in Asia. Don discusses The Supply Chain of CO2 in the "toolbox" segment. The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment is mentioned.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater discuss the relationship between green power and carbon accounting and try to reduce some confusion about offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs). This is timely considering: - The questions Don encounters from colleagues. - Michael’s recent blog post which asks (and answers) Is your “green power” really just “green washing?” - A recent open letter published by GHG accounting leaders on the perils of contractual emissions factors. - Draft guidance from the GHG Protocol for Scope 2 Reporting (public comment period).

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater discuss why a supply chain or value chain framework makes sense for GHG management. Michael asks tough questions while Don answers based on his experience as an EY supply chain partner and author of the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute's new course on Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Reporting. News on campus includes information about new curriculum and introduction of Molly White, registrar. Toolbox segment gives a shout-out to HP for publishing their Carbon Accounting Assumptions manual.

Don Bain and Michael Gillenwater discuss initiatives underway to attempt to standardize reporting requirements, materiality, environmental reporting and attention fatigue. Campus segment is about new GHG Management Institute degree programs and the toolbox segment introduces the concept of the internet of things.