ABSTRACT
In many spheres of human endeavor, from science to business to education to economic policy, good decisions depend on good measurement. The US environmental protection agency provides a convenient set of greenhouse gas emission factors for US businesses. Other potential sources include the U.K.’s DEFRA, the climate registry, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, international reporting standards usually require use of 100-year global warming potentials, aligned with understanding long-term climate impacts, so parlor tricks aren’t really an option. The drawback of the approach is that it ignores the higher amounts of methane that are present in earlier years. Another important function of science-based targets is to make alignment with science understandable. The overall goal of 1.5° makes complete sense to the scientific community as a measure of climate alteration. However, it is critical that the big picture goal is translated to measures that are actionable at more local levels, for business and beyond.
