JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

Climate change is a phenomenon that has been caused by the disturbance in Earth’s energy and carbon cycle. Energy production via burning fuels, especially fossil fuels is one of the dominant players that disturbs these cycles. Both energy and climate are included in sustainable development goals. Carbon footprint is a way to assess the impact of a product or a service on climate change. The result of the calculation is a useful tool in strategic planning related to climate change initiatives and carbon neutrality. In this study, the main target was to calculate the carbon footprint of the case study (Oulun Energia Group). Oulun Energia Group is a local energy company based in City of Oulu, Finland. It is the company’s target to be carbon neutral by 2035. There are several methodologies for science-based carbon footprint calculation. The method for this study is based on the GHG Protocol Standard. The first practical step was developing a roadmap based on the standard. Calculation started with Scope 1 emissions for Oulun Energia Oy, for the years 2020 and 2021. The result for the year 2020 is 507739.26 tonne CO₂eq and for the year 2021 is 412385.11 tonne CO₂eq. The value-added of the work for the company is a science-based approach towards the carbon neutrality goal by calculating the carbon footprint.