Transport Scotland’s Response to Climate Change: Piloting of the Carbon Management System

Introduction - Responding to Climate Change

The importance of mitigating carbon emissions and adapting to climate change is fundamental to the Scottish Government, as evidenced by the challenging target to reduce emissions by 80% (from 1990 levels) by 2050 set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill. Transport Scotland’s own Corporate and Business Plans reflect this commitment and the agency has been preparing its response to the challenges of climate change for some time. This work has included:

• the establishment of a Climate Change Steering Committee, chaired by Transport Scotland’s Chief Executive;
• the drafting of our first internal Climate Change Action Plan, building on a baseline review of existing good practice, to steer mitigation and adaptation activity between 2008 and 2011; and
• the undertaking of a Sustainability Review to understand in more detail how our strategic and delivery responsibilities can be undertaken in ways which reduce energy, materials, waste and carbon flows.

This work is being supported by the development of a carbon calculator tool, known as the Carbon Management System (CMS). We expect that in the next few years all Government agencies and departments will be required to provide annual reports of all their carbon emissions¹. The CMS is intended to provide a robust and reliable means of measuring, monitoring and reporting the carbon footprint of Transport Scotland (TS).

What is the Carbon Management System (CMS)?

The CMS is intended to provide the agency and its supply chain with a transparent and user-friendly carbon calculator. It is based upon spreadsheet software and is used by inputting information about quantities of energy, fuel and materials used in different processes and projects and coverts these to estimates of carbon emissions. It has been developed based upon international protocols for greenhouse gas measurement and uses the latest available emissions factors. The CMS can therefore be used to help Transport Scotland calculate its annual emissions across the organisation’s carbon footprint which is illustrated below.

In addition to providing an emissions reporting tool, the CMS is being developed with additional functionality to provide a ‘carbon efficiency tool’ for projects. This will allow the CMS to be deployed through the life of projects as a means of providing information about carbon emissions with the aim of minimising carbon emissions across the life cycle of the asset. For example by using the tool to consider the embodied carbon implications of design options, alternative materials specifications or infrastructure durability, projects can be designed with lower carbon footprints.

It should be noted that road traffic emissions are not included in the core carbon footprint because Transport Scotland does not have a direct influence over traffic levels.

Benefits of the CMS

Transport Scotland perceives a number of benefits that CMS can provide:

• better information on energy use and carbon emissions from the corporate estate (primarily our offices) which can be used to drive resource and cost efficiency measures;
• a clear understanding of the energy and material flows through transport infrastructure projects and where opportunities lie for greater resource efficiencies and value for money on a whole life cost basis;
• understanding and systematic management of Transport Scotland’s carbon footprint year on year;
• a sophisticated tool to provide management information and a means of driving reductions in carbon emissions, delivering more sustainable growth;
• in time, a ‘library’ of information on carbon profiles for different types of project which could be used to inform future transport development and decisions from the earliest stages of appraisal; and
• an industry leading and accepted carbon calculator which can be reliably and consistently deployed by Transport Scotland’s suppliers and stakeholders.

These benefits can only be realised with an effective tool, therefore the piloting and development of the CMS in the next few months is key. This will require engagement with staff across the agency and our industry partners.

What has been done on the CMS to date?

The current draft version of the CMS has been developed and tested over the last 6 months by applying it to sample activities and projects. This testing process has involved discussions and workshops with staff within Transport Scotland and with many of our industry partners including trunk road operating companies, project designers and contractors, rail operators and consultants. The feedback obtained from this testing process has been reviewed closely by Transport Scotland and the draft version of the tool has been significantly amended. A ‘pilot’ version of the tool has been developed which is easier to use and better reflects industry standards for the measurement and specification of materials used in project construction and maintenance.

An example of one of the data output pages from the CMS is shown in the box below.

The next stage of development of the CMS is a proposed 6 month pilot exercise which will start from July 2009.

Why is Transport Scotland piloting the CMS?

Whilst the CMS is now ready to be used in carbon calculation, Transport Scotland wishes to engage with a wider range of staff and supply chain partners to provide more extensive trialling of the tool, to raise awareness of its use and applications, and to understand in more detail the resources involved in its use and the best way which CMS can be deployed on projects in future.

The pilot will therefore provide clear management information on all aspects of the CMS, from the technical issues associated with its construction through to the implications for managing data flows and what this will mean for the roles of our staff and suppliers. Whilst we expect that carbon reporting will become a mandatory activity across all projects, maintenance and corporate activities within a few years, Transport Scotland’s approach is to engage with our suppliers and industry now to ensure that CMS can be applied as effectively and seamlessly as possible. The agency’s corporate objectives include developing and promoting best practice and our aim is to do this in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders. For these reasons we are piloting the CMS rather than making its use mandatory at this stage and the pilot stage is therefore fundamental to ensuring that the tool is developed to meet the needs of all its future users.

What does the CMS Pilot involve?

The CMS will be piloted by applying the tool ‘for real’ across different aspects of the agency’s activities, and working with our staff and supply chain organisations to source the required input data and understand the challenges associated with data management and tool application. Piloting will be undertaken across a sample of activity within each of the discrete parts of the agency’s carbon footprint. For the critical area of transport projects, we expect to engage with project management, design and contracting teams involved in 10-12 projects across the road and rail sectors. A range of project types and sizes have been selected to try to provide initial carbon data for different scheme types such as structural maintenance, minor improvements and major projects. We will also liaise closely with the New Forth Crossing project team who have begun carbon calculation work ahead of the CMS Pilot.

It should be noted that it is not expected, by the end of the pilot, to have a full ‘baseline’ figure for Transport Scotland’s carbon footprint. The pilot is based on a sample of activities only so data cannot be extrapolated with confidence. However it will provide some initial indications of the relative proportions of the carbon footprint both across project types and across a sample of the activities which make up the agency’s footprint.

Transport Scotland will be assisted by our consultants Halcrow in carrying out the pilot. Once the six months of pilot activity is complete, an Implementation Report will be prepared for the agency which will set out the management, resource and technical implications for a full deployment of the CMS on all Transport Scotland’s activities and projects in the future. This could be as early as from the 2010/11 financial year, depending on Board approval.

How can you help?

In the next few weeks Halcrow will be making direct contact with relevant individuals and project teams in Transport Scotland and in selected project design and contractor organisations who are critical to progression of the pilot. The success of the pilot is entirely dependent upon the positive engagement of these teams with the CMS Piloting team, and all support provided is very much appreciated.

Involvement in the CMS pilot, or indeed any other aspect of Transport Scotland’s programme of climate change and sustainability work is not limited to those teams who will be directly contacted about the pilot. If you are interested in understanding more, or actively assisting with this challenging but rewarding aspect of the agency’s work please do not hesitate to contact one of the steering group members listed below.

Further updates on the progress of the CMS Pilot and the agency’s Sustainability Review will also be prepared and issued at appropriate stages.

Transport Scotland
June 2009

This flyer has been published as a web based document only to reduce energy and paper use in its preparation and distribution.

Footnote

1. As a government agency and a major purchaser of electricity for trunk road lighting Transport Scotland already participates in the Carbon Reduction Commitment which is a mandatory scheme from 2010 to report and reduce on carbon associated with significant energy users.