Environmental Impact Flashcards
7 cards from real CAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental Impact flashcards as text
A carbon auditor discovers that a client's supply chain partner in a developing country uses coal-fired electricity. Under the GHG Protocol, this emission is classified as:
Answer: Scope 3 Category 1 — purchased goods and services
Emissions embedded in goods and services purchased from suppliers — including the electricity the supplier uses to manufacture those goods — are Scope 3 Category 1 emissions.
What distinguishes 'gross' emissions from 'net' emissions in a carbon inventory?
Answer: Net emissions subtract carbon removals and offsets from gross emission totals
Net emissions equal gross (total released) emissions minus any carbon removals (sequestration) and verified offset credits, representing the actual atmospheric impact.
Which of the following best describes a 'carbon hotspot' in supply chain environmental impact analysis?
Answer: A specific supply chain activity or supplier that contributes disproportionately large GHG emissions
Carbon hotspots are identified segments of a supply chain — often raw material processing or energy-intensive manufacturing steps — that account for a large share of total value chain emissions.
The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is a tool used in environmental impact analysis to:
Answer: Estimate the economic damage caused by emitting one additional metric ton of CO₂
The SCC monetizes the long-term economic harm — including climate damages, health impacts, and lost productivity — from releasing one additional tonne of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
In assessing corporate environmental impact, 'avoided emissions' (also called 'Scope 4') represent:
Answer: GHG reductions enabled in third parties' operations by the company's products or services
Scope 4 or avoided emissions quantify the positive climate impact a company has by enabling others to reduce their emissions — for example, a software firm whose teleconferencing tools reduce business travel.
Which UN framework provides the primary international guidance for national greenhouse gas inventories used as the basis for carbon auditing methodologies?
Answer: IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
The IPCC Guidelines for National GHG Inventories set the foundational methodologies and emission factors used by countries and, by extension, by corporate carbon auditing frameworks.
When auditing a company's biodiversity-related carbon claims for a wetland restoration project, the most critical verification step is confirming:
Answer: The permanence and additionality of carbon stored in restored wetland ecosystems
Permanence (the carbon stays stored long-term) and additionality (the restoration wouldn't have happened otherwise) are the two foundational integrity criteria for any nature-based carbon project.