BSI’s PAS 2070 wins prestigious Carbon Measurement Award
PAS 2070 – BSI’s standard for assessment of city-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – has won international acclaim at the prestigious City Climate Leadership Awards. The Awards honour cities all over the world for excellence in urban sustainability and leadership in the fight against climate change.
Siemens and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) announced the winners of the City Climate Leadership Awards 2014 at a ceremony held on 22nd September in New York City. The city of London won a double accolade for the Mayor’s work to make London’s iconic black taxi’s zero emission capable by 2018, and for London’s holistic approach to measuring city-wide GHG emissions, via its implementation of PAS 2070.
PAS 2070 Specification for the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of a city was sponsored by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and provides a transparent methodology for the consistent, comparable and relevant quantification, attribution and reporting of GHG impacts at an urban level.
Making cities more sustainable is one of the most vital challenges of modern times, especially as they exert a significant impact on the environmental status quo. Therefore a greater emphasis placed on measurement of emissions and access gained to good quality data on GHG emissions, is crucial. PAS 2070 enables city decision makers to clearly identify emission sources and their drivers, reduce the carbon dependence of their economy, and stimulate opportunities for more efficient urban supply chains. The standard provides a robust framework which encourages best practice carbon management of urban areas. Those implementing PAS 2070 gain a clearer understanding about how their city generates emissions and are therefore are better placed to assess risks and opportunities.
Each city has a responsibility to its track its output. Since 2004, London has been providing an annual inventory of its GHG emissions to support Mayor of London’s Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy. To further highlight the importance of accurate reporting, a London case study was conducted to give a more complete assessment of London’s GHG emissions. Crucially, the case study resulted in amendments being made to PAS 2070 in 2014 to further enhance it.
Commenting on the recognition of PAS 2070 in the Carbon Measurement & Planning category of the City Climate Leadership Awards, David Fatscher, Head of Market Development for Sustainability at BSI, said: “This award is testament to the commitment London and the UK has to tackling climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are delighted that the Greater London Authority partnered with BSI in developing PAS 2070 in order to carry out a complete assessment throughout Greater London. This achievement clearly demonstrates the standard’s credibility in helping cities globally measure, report and benchmark GHG emissions in a consistent manner.”
The recognition of PAS 2070 by the City Climate Leadership Awards is an acknowledgement of the strategic role a comprehensive, crosscutting, policy-relevant, standardized GHG emissions inventory can have in cities’ green strategies. It showcases the advanced thinking on GHG measurement reflected in PAS 2070, and demonstrates how the city’s carbon measurement can become a strategic part of city’s climate action planning. It recognises the methodology as an international best practice benchmark and therefore encourages its further consistent international application.
