Estimating Avoided Emissions

Developing a GHG Baseline is essential to estimating avoided emissions from the activities.

Simplified calculations can be used to estimate emissions reduction activities, prior to conducting a formal baseline. A range of tools to support baselines are provided on the Pathfinder here. 

These simplified estimates of avoided emissions do not meet the requirements for reporting an enterprise baseline and emissions avoided for other purposes.

Emissions factors (EFs) are representative values or multipliers that convert an inventory input (e.g. fertiliser, daily feed intake) to the average amount of CO2 produced in its use. Estimating GHG emissions associated with land management activities are based on internationally agreed calculations and emissions factors. These agreed calculations are embedded into GHG Baselining tools and take into account different production systems and rainfall environments.

To support your planning and our assessment of loan applications, estimates of avoided emissions can be made based on simplified calculations that use broad-scale average emissions factors only. To achieve a more accurate estimate, please refer to the range of available tools here. 

Simplified avoided emissions (GHG_avoided) can be estimated by comparing the difference in emissions between a ‘business-as-usual’ state (GHG_BAU) and the emissions reducing activity (GHG_activity).