Stabilising the environment and reducing our carbon footprint is unquestionably an urgent matter. Colin Challen MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group recently said that we would need to reduce CO2 emissions by 76 per cent from their 1999 levels by 2050. The question, however, for many public sector organisations is: How can we do this quickly and effectively without incurring significant costs but still delivering real sustainable benefits?
The challenge
For carbon reduction to be effective it needs to be part of an organisation’s whole ethos – not just a one-off project but an embedded approach that underpins the organisation’s policies, practice and operations. But it’s tough to start from scratch and many public sector organisations face the challenge of having to work sustainability into their existing operations rather than implementing truly sustainable operations. ‘Retrofitting’ is a necessary approach.
There are compelling reasons why public sector organisations must rise to this challenge. First and foremost, like any other organisation, they must comply with government legislation. The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) coming into force next April, the recent launch of the Climate Change Act and the COP15 global targets due out in December will require public and private organisations in the UK to provide evidence of their energy consumption in order for future carbon emissions standards to be set. The emergence and evolution of these regulatory mandates related to trade, reporting and disclosure of green house gases, for example, increase the need to treat sustainability as a central component of an organisation’s long-term viability and license to operate.
Public sector organisations are also under increasing pressure to ensure efficient operations in order to reduce costs to the taxpayer. Volatile energy costs provide the added need for organisations to utilise resources in a highly efficient manner.
Technology is key
Being able to effectively track, measure and communicate sustainability progress and targets is of great importance for any carbon reduction campaign. Technology provides the tools to perform effective emissions measurement and management.
Public sector organisations must consider a full portfolio of tools and technologies to accelerate emission reductions. Cap and trade will drive behaviour and ensure solutions are found efficiently and at the lowest economic cost. Minimum energy efficiency standards will drive productivity improvements. Tax and other credit policies can encourage rapid innovation on required technology including sequestration, smart grids, and alternative energy.
With organisations pressured to comply with a number of sustainability regulations, technology plays an important role, enabling organisations to:
- Measure carbon usage to manage resources and implement good environmental practices
- Report on carbon emission performance to a wide range of stakeholders, including citizens who utilise public sector services
- Change behaviours to find areas for improvement and make reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions
- Establish a base line against which to measure improvements
- Prepare for future legislative changes, new ways of accounting and reporting
- Reduce energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions of operations and services.
More and more organisations are being asked to comply with a number of sustainability regulations, among other challenges such as the rising cost of energy and resources. But with the help of technology, public sector organisations can make sustainability an integral part of operations whilst increasing efficiencies and delivering cost savings. Sustainability needs to live and breathe in an organisation in order for smart and quick carbon efficiency to be achieved.
