NPF4 planning guidance: policy 2 - climate mitigation and adaptation

8. Glossary

Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions: is another term for Whole Life Carbon (WLC) and both refer to the sum of carbon emissions that arise from the entire life of a project plus those emissions associated with transportation of materials/goods and people to and from sites during construction and operation.

Carbon: For the purposes of this guidance and referenced materials, carbon is used as shorthand for all greenhouse gas emissions as defined by the Kyoto Protocol and measured in kilograms or tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Emissions sources include those set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as amended (‘the Climate Change (Scotland) Act’). This created a statutory framework for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in Scotland and set targets for reduction in emissions of the seven Kyoto Protocol Greenhouse Gases compared to the 1990/1995 baseline level. This “basket” of seven GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).

CO2 equivalent: CO2e is the measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global warming potential (GWP) by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.

Embodied carbon is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (often simplified to “carbon”) generated to produce materials and also applies to the materials and processes required for construction of a building or structure. The embodied carbon of re-use or recycling some materials can be less than the embodied carbon of producing new material from new raw materials. Carbon is also stored in materials such as wood, which can be released by burning or decomposition, leading to the release of carbon dioxide.

Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Assessment/ Whole Life Carbon Assessment: Significant sources of emissions can be accounted for, and minimised, by undertaking an assessment of emissions and this is known as a Lifecycle GHG or Whole Life Carbon Assessment. These assessments are routinely used in a range of development sectors to provide a clear indication of a development proposal’s carbon impact on the environment. These assessments that including understanding project GHG emissions are essential to managing carbon across a project’s lifecycle.

Emissions factors: the quantity of GHG emissions released per unit of activity, such as the production of a material, normally measured in units such as kg CO2 per tonne.