Comparison of Methods for Calculating Indirect Upstream Carbon Emissions from Information and Communication Technology Manufacturing

Q3 Social Sciences
Abhishek Kumar Rajesh Jha, Anders S. G. Andrae, Brijesh Mainali
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The use of Information Communication technology (ICT) is rapidly increasing in an age of digitalization. Measurement of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from ICT is crucial for reducing them. Most ICT organizations focus on Scope 1 and 2 emissions as they have greater control over them, commonly ignoring Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 Category 1 (S3C1) emissions occur throughout the raw material acquisition and manufacturing stages of an ICT product's life cycle accounting for a large portion of the sector's overall CO2e emissions and energy consumption. By not reporting Scope 3 emissions, companies lose the ability to reduce their overall CO2e corporate emissions. Although Category 1 and 11 under Scope 3 account for 85% of ICT's worldwide CO2e emissions, the methodologies for calculating S3C1 emissions in ICT are understudied. This study focuses on these emissions in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals 9, 12, and 13. Product life cycle assessment (PLCA) and Spend-based methods have been used to analyze S3C1 emissions in the ICT sector with two case examples of laptop computers and smartphones. The Excel Management Life Cycle Assessment (EMLCA) tool has been used for the S3C1 emissions estimation. PLCA and Spend-based methods are compared on their ability to calculate CO2e emissions. It is concluded that the Spend-based is faster than PLCA for predicting ICT emissions with modest uncertainty for smartphone and laptop components. Furthermore, this work explores the advantages and downsides of both methods.
信息通信技术制造业上游间接碳排放计算方法比较
在数字化时代,信息通信技术(ICT)的使用正在迅速增加。测量ICT产生的二氧化碳当量(CO2e)排放对于减少它们至关重要。大多数ICT组织关注范围1和2的排放,因为他们对它们有更大的控制,通常忽略范围3的排放。范围3第1类(S3C1)排放发生在ICT产品生命周期的原材料获取和制造阶段,占该行业总二氧化碳排放量和能源消耗的很大一部分。如果不报告第3类排放,企业就失去了减少企业二氧化碳总排放量的能力。尽管范围3下的第1类和第11类占全球ICT二氧化碳排放量的85%,但计算ICT中二氧化碳排放量的方法尚未得到充分研究。本研究将重点放在可持续发展目标9、12和13的框架下。产品生命周期评估(PLCA)和基于支出的方法已被用于分析ICT行业的S3C1排放,并以笔记本电脑和智能手机为例。Excel管理生命周期评估(EMLCA)工具已用于S3C1排放估计。对PLCA和基于支出的方法计算二氧化碳排放量的能力进行了比较。结论是,在智能手机和笔记本电脑组件的适度不确定性下,基于支出的ICT排放预测比PLCA更快。此外,本研究还探讨了这两种方法的优缺点。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
118
期刊介绍: WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development publishes original research papers relating to the studying of environmental sciences. We aim to bring important work to a wide international audience and therefore only publish papers of exceptional scientific value that advance our understanding of these particular areas. The research presented must transcend the limits of case studies, while both experimental and theoretical studies are accepted. It is a multi-disciplinary journal and therefore its content mirrors the diverse interests and approaches of scholars involved with sustainable development, climate change, natural hazards, renewable energy systems and related areas. We also welcome scholarly contributions from officials with government agencies, international agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
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