CSC Carbon Management & GHG Accounting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, which scope covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company?
- Scope 1 (Correct answer)
- Scope 2
- Scope 3
- Scope 4
Correct answer: Scope 1
Scope 1 emissions are direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting company, such as combustion in boilers or company-owned vehicles.
Question 2: Which greenhouse gas has the highest 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP) among those regulated under the Kyoto Protocol?
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) (Correct answer)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Correct answer: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has a 100-year GWP of approximately 23,900, making it the most potent greenhouse gas listed under the Kyoto Protocol.
Question 3: What does the term 'carbon footprint' most accurately measure for an organization?
- Total water usage associated with the organization's products
- Total greenhouse gas emissions expressed as CO2 equivalent (Correct answer)
- The physical land area impacted by carbon-absorbing activities
- Annual energy consumption measured in kilowatt-hours
Correct answer: Total greenhouse gas emissions expressed as CO2 equivalent
A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an organization, product, or individual, expressed in CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
Question 4: In GHG accounting, which of the following is an example of a Scope 2 emission?
- Emissions from company-owned delivery trucks
- Emissions from purchased electricity consumed at company facilities (Correct answer)
- Emissions from employee air travel on business trips
- Emissions from customer use of the company's products
Correct answer: Emissions from purchased electricity consumed at company facilities
Scope 2 covers indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heat, or cooling that the reporting company consumes.
Question 5: Which international framework provides the most widely used standards for corporate GHG accounting and reporting?
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
- The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard (Correct answer)
- The Paris Agreement
- CDP Climate Disclosure Framework
Correct answer: The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard
The GHG Protocol, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), is the most widely adopted international standard for corporate GHG accounting.
Question 6: What unit is typically used to express a carbon footprint when multiple greenhouse gases are involved?
- Metric tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) (Correct answer)
- British Thermal Units (BTU)
- Parts per million by volume (ppmv)
- Megawatt-hours (MWh)
Correct answer: Metric tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e)
Carbon footprints are expressed in metric tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), which converts different greenhouse gases to a common unit based on their respective global warming potentials.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes Scope 3 emissions under the GHG Protocol?
- Direct emissions from all company-owned energy generation equipment
- Emissions from generating purchased electricity used by the company
- All indirect value chain emissions not included in Scope 2, both upstream and downstream (Correct answer)
- Emissions from on-site emergency generator fuel combustion
Correct answer: All indirect value chain emissions not included in Scope 2, both upstream and downstream
Scope 3 encompasses all indirect GHG emissions occurring in a company's value chain—both upstream (suppliers) and downstream (customers)—that are not covered under Scope 2.
CSC Carbon Management & GHG Accounting 1
According to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, which scope covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company?