KOUT 2090 - Carbon accounting: a fundamental instrument for the environmental transition

Carbon accounting is a technique used to calculate how much greenhouse gas (GHG) a company/organization emits. Companies are increasingly required to assess their carbon footprint and set reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Agreement, in order to limit the rise of global temperature below 2°C or 1,5°C. More broadly, carbon accounting also makes it possible to calculate the environmental impact of products and services, gain a better understanding of one’s individual impact, and guide environmental policies.

This course aims to teach students how to assess the carbon footprint of an organization and build a credible climate action plan. What are the existing accounting methodologies? What are the key principles? How do you set ambitious yet achievable science-based targets? Are short-term financial and long-term climate objectives incompatible? How do you monitor the implementation of your action plan? Such questions are very important to keep in mind when working towards reducing GHG emissions, and will be addressed throughout the semester. Furthermore, this course will also give you a broader understanding of the value of carbon accounting beyond the corporate sector, with practical examples related to your individual carbon footprint and the implementation of policies.

This course will provide you with a broad overview of the main steps and key principles of carbon accounting (e.g. scope 1,2 and 3 emissions). The most common and widely-used reporting frameworks will be presented (GHG Protocol, Bilan CarboneⓇ) and students will gain hands-on experience through short case studies. This course will also dive into several decarbonization pathways and students will be asked to build a simple climate action plan. Throughout the semester, different sectors will be studied (oil and gas, transport, agri-food, universities, etc.).

At the end of the semester, students who have properly engaged in the course, will :

● Know the different reporting frameworks and their key principles

● Be able to calculate a basic carbon footprint

● Have a better understanding of how to build a credible decarbonization pathway and climate action plan

● Have hands-on experience of the low-carbon challenges in various sectors

● Have gained data analysis skills

● Have learned the basics of Excel

Learning Outcomes:

• Students understand the basics of carbon accounting and are able to identify the critical emission drivers and challenges based on a description of an institution/organization activity
• Students are able to perform carbon accountancy (across Scope 1 / 2 & 3) calculation based on activity data and primary or secondary emissions factor data. They can make some assumptions if data is missing.
• Knows how to select and use an emission factor based on the description of its specification
• Students are aware of the various applications of carbon accounting in climate-related issues (for companies climate strategy, individual carbon footprint and climate-related policies)

This course is an introduction to carbon accounting. It is suitable for those with no previous knowledge on the matter as well as those with basic background knowledge.

• Individual feedback to the group after each case study presentation
• Individual feedback after the course’s exam and the midterm through Moodle

The assessment will be based on:

• A two hours formal exam to be done in the last session of the course. This exam will be open book (50% of the final grade)
• A 20 minute group presentation at the beginning of the course (20% of the final grade)
• A mid-term exercise in pairs (20% of the final grade)
• Participation throughout the semester (10% of the final grade)

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1 hour a week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 12-15 hours a semester per group (≈3h per student)
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1 hour a week
• Mid-term exam at home: 3h