CAP Emissions Reduction Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which energy efficiency strategy involves recovering waste heat from industrial exhaust streams to generate electricity or preheat process inputs?
- Demand response programs
- Combined heat and power (CHP) / cogeneration
- Waste heat recovery (WHR) systems (Correct answer)
- Demand-side management
Correct answer: Waste heat recovery (WHR) systems
Waste heat recovery systems capture thermal energy from exhaust gases, cooling water, or other waste streams to improve overall energy efficiency and reduce fuel combustion needs.
Question 2: Under Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard, companies must reduce value chain emissions by at least what percentage before using neutralization (offsets)?
- 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050
- 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050
- 90% across all Scopes by target year (Correct answer)
- 100% Scope 1 and 2 only by 2040
Correct answer: 90% across all Scopes by target year
SBTi Net-Zero Standard requires companies to reduce Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by at least 90% before using carbon removal to neutralize residual emissions.
Question 3: A commercial building operator replaces T12 fluorescent lamps with LED fixtures, reducing lighting energy consumption by 60%. This measure primarily affects which category of GHG emissions?
- Scope 1 fugitive emissions
- Scope 2 indirect emissions from purchased electricity (Correct answer)
- Scope 3 downstream leased asset emissions
- Scope 1 stationary combustion
Correct answer: Scope 2 indirect emissions from purchased electricity
Reducing electricity consumption from the grid lowers Scope 2 indirect emissions associated with purchased energy.
Question 4: What is the primary mechanism by which reforestation projects generate carbon credits under REDD+ programs?
- Direct combustion avoidance from replacing fossil fuels with biomass
- Carbon sequestration by growing trees that absorb atmospheric CO2 (Correct answer)
- Methane oxidation in forest soils replacing landfill gas collection
- Albedo increase from forest canopy reducing solar absorption
Correct answer: Carbon sequestration by growing trees that absorb atmospheric CO2
Reforestation creates carbon sinks as growing trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in biomass and soil.
Question 5: Which refrigerant transition strategy involves replacing high-GWP HFCs with natural refrigerants like CO2 (R-744) or ammonia (R-717)?
- Retrofit with HFO blends
- Drop-in replacement with HFC-32
- Low-GWP natural refrigerant conversion (Correct answer)
- Halon phase-out compliance
Correct answer: Low-GWP natural refrigerant conversion
Transitioning to natural refrigerants such as CO2 (GWP=1) or ammonia (GWP=0) dramatically reduces the climate impact of refrigerant leaks compared to HFCs with GWPs of 1,000–4,000.
Question 6: A manufacturer audits its supply chain and discovers that 70% of its total carbon footprint lies in Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased goods). Which strategy most directly addresses this hotspot?
- Installing on-site solar panels
- Purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs)
- Engaging suppliers to set their own emission reduction targets (Correct answer)
- Switching to electric company vehicles
Correct answer: Engaging suppliers to set their own emission reduction targets
Engaging suppliers to reduce their own operational emissions directly reduces Scope 3 Category 1 (upstream purchased goods and services) footprint.
Question 7: Which internationally recognized protocol provides the foundational methodology for corporate greenhouse gas accounting and reporting?
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
- GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Correct answer)
- Kyoto Protocol Article 6 rules
- TCFD Recommendations Framework
Correct answer: GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, developed by WRI and WBCSD, is the most widely used international standard for measuring and managing corporate greenhouse gas emissions.
CAP Emissions Reduction Strategies 3
Which energy efficiency strategy involves recovering waste heat from industrial exhaust streams to generate electricity or preheat process inputs?