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Carbon audit methodology

The PDF file at the top of this page gives details of the methodology used in the carbon audit of Prince Charles. The Sunday Times article is here. All information used in the work was in the public domain.

As usual in carbon audits, the crucial question is how to treat air travel. The airline industry says that only the CO2 should be measured. Scientists generally contend that the impact of aviation is worse than just CO2; nitrous oxide and water vapour have severe effects as well. In general, those studying the issue think that the full impact of all pollutants is about three times the impact of CO2. (This issue is the subject of substantial scientific debate).

In the carbon audit, I used a multiplier of 2.7. Those interested in reading more about the fascinating scientific issues involved in deciding how large a multiplier to use will profitably go to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's study entitled The Environmental Effects of Civil Aviation in Flight. Alice Bows of the Tyndall Centre has produced several interesting presentations on the reasons why aviation growth is difficult to reconcile with a stable climate. (Please email me for a list - c.goodall@which.net).

Full disclosure

In the interests of completeness, I append below a summary table of my own carbon output at home and at work. It seemed unfair to study Prince Charles without confessing my own footprint.

We produce electricity from solar panels. The amount we export would decrease this figure by 0.05 tonnes, meaning that my net footprint from home, work and travel is about 1.75 tonnes.