Client: National Centre for Atmospheric Science
Objective
To develop a carbon baseline, emission reduction targets and decarbonisation strategy.
Case Study
The National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), a world-leading research centre funded by NERC, recently disclosed the first-ever quantification of their carbon footprint. NCAS provides the UK with top-tier services for observing and modelling air pollution, climate change, and hazardous weather.
Since June 2022, 3ADAPT has been collaborating with NCAS to establish a carbon baseline, define emissions reduction targets, and devise a variety of decarbonisation pathways. With over 200 staff members working across 12 universities and managing specialised facilities - including a research aircraft, atmospheric observatories, and a wind tunnel - the project necessitated a tailored approach to encapsulate the unique operations of the organisation.
The baseline assessment successfully consolidated data and insights from across NCAS to quantify scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. This allowed for the identification of data gaps and the improvement of data collection methods for future iterations of the work. Upon setting a suitable target for achieving Net Zero carbon emissions, 3ADAPT worked collaboratively with teams across the organisation to identify potential interventions to reduce emissions in each area. This included consideration of actions to decarbonise NCAS’s unique research facilities including exploration of alternative fuel sources for the aircraft, opportunities for efficiencies in the wind tunnel, and incorporation of on-site renewables at the atmospheric observatories.
“By understanding our own impact on the environment and acting upon it, we will ensure our research and innovation plays a responsible role in addressing environmental issues such as climate change, hazardous weather and air pollution.”
The interventions were combined to create a number of decarbonisation scenarios for NCAS, incorporating opportunities internal to the organisation as well as external influences and possible carbon removal strategies. The resulting scenarios were explored through a series of focus groups and a workshop to identify those which struck the correct balance between achieving the desired level of ambition whilst remaining realistic and feasible with NCAS’s resources.
3ADAPT developed a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy for NCAS, enabling the organisation to better understand its key levers and support departments to make informed choices about environmental sustainability whilst retaining the vital research capability.
