Carbon Footprint & Emissions Tracking Flashcards
7 cards from real CEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Carbon Footprint & Emissions Tracking flashcards as text
What is the primary difference between market-based and location-based methods for calculating Scope 2 emissions?
Answer: Market-based reflects contractual energy purchases; location-based uses average grid emission factors
The market-based method uses emission factors from contractual instruments like RECs or power purchase agreements, while the location-based method uses average grid emission factors for the region.
A company purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset its electricity consumption. Under which Scope 2 accounting method would this reduce reported emissions to near zero?
Answer: Market-based method
Under the market-based method, purchasing RECs allows a company to claim zero-emission electricity and report near-zero Scope 2 emissions for that consumption.
Which type of emission factor would an analyst use to convert natural gas consumption (in MMBtu) to CO2e?
Answer: Stationary combustion emission factor from EPA
EPA provides stationary combustion emission factors for natural gas and other fuels expressed in units of CO2e per MMBtu of energy content.
Under the GHG Protocol, which approach requires a company to consolidate 100% of emissions from operations based on the percentage of economic interest it holds?
Answer: Equity share approach
The equity share approach requires a company to account for GHG emissions from operations in proportion to its equity share (ownership percentage) in those operations.
Which industry sector is typically the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States?
Answer: Transportation
According to the EPA's US GHG Inventory, the transportation sector has been the largest source of GHG emissions in the US since 2016, primarily from fossil fuel combustion.
What is 'carbon intensity' as used in energy and emissions analysis?
Answer: GHG emissions per unit of economic output or energy produced
Carbon intensity measures GHG emissions per unit of output (e.g., kg CO2e per MWh, or kg CO2e per dollar of revenue), enabling comparison across facilities or sectors.
A facility that captures methane from a landfill and burns it for electricity generation reduces net GHG emissions primarily because:
Answer: Combustion converts high-GWP methane to lower-GWP CO2
Methane has a GWP ~28 times that of CO2; combusting it converts CH4 to CO2, significantly reducing the climate impact of the emissions on a CO2e basis.