INTRODUCTION 5: Carbon Intensity

Overview 

Carbon Intensity (CI) also known as emission intensity, is the emission rate of a given pollutant relative to the intensity of a specific activity, or an industrial production process.  For example, CI can refer to the grams of carbon dioxide released per mega joule of energy produced, or the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions produced to gross domestic product (GDP). Emission intensities are used to derive estimates of air pollutant or greenhouse gas emissions based on the amount of fuel combusted, the number of animals in animal husbandry, on industrial production levels, distances traveled or similar activity data. Emission intensities may also be used to compare the environmental impact of different fuels or activities. In some case the related terms emission factor and carbon intensity are used interchangeably. The jargon used can be different, for different fields/industrial sectors; normally the term "carbon" excludes other pollutants, such as particulate emissions. One commonly used figure is carbon intensity per kilowatt-hour (CIPK), which is used to compare emissions from different sources of electrical power. 

Different methodologies can be used to assess the carbon intensity. Among the most used methodologies there are:

  • A cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment (LCA): includes the carbon emissions due to the production and end-of-life of materials, plants and machineries used for the considered process. 
  • A well-to-wheels (WTW) LCA, commonly used in the Energy and Transport sectors: this is a simplified LCA considering the emissions of the process itself, the emissions due to the extraction and refining of the material (or fuel) used in the process (also "Upstream emissions").
  • Gate-to-gate type LCA: considers emissions occurring during a specific process; i.e. just the combustion of a fuel in a power plant, without considering the Upstream emissions.

Module Objectives

In this module, the activities, content, and assignments will guide your learning process to ensure you can:

  • Identify and describe environmental sustainability issues within the natural gas sector
  • Apply critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to environmental sustainability problems
  • Employ simulation and prediction tools, methods, and techniques for the elaboration of Life Cycle Assessments
  • Apply the content presented in this course to real world problems

 

 

Module To-Do List

Here's everything you need to do and remember for this module:

  • Read the articles in the Resources section
  • Annotate the assigned reading in Perusall
  • Come prepared to the Live Session to discuss the reading