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Net Zero Briefing For Event Organisers 2

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Marcelo Teixeira Rossi
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24 views4 pages

Net Zero Briefing For Event Organisers 2

Uploaded by

Marcelo Teixeira Rossi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NET ZERO BRIEFING FOR EVENT ORGANISERS

In November 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a


landmark report stating that we have until 2030 to avoid climate catastrophe.

Urgent and unprecedented changes are needed well before 2030 to keep global warming
below 1.5 degrees and avoid the worst effects of climate change. To do this we need to
reduce our green house gas emissions (GHGs) to zero.

Net-zero: A North Star for Climate Action

Organisations across the world are setting science-based net-zero carbon targets. Firstly,
there’s an important distinction to make:

 Carbon Neutral: Balancing emissions without reducing


 Net Zero: Reducing emissions as much as possible and balancing unavoidable
emissions.

There is a hierarchy for tackling emissions:


1

1. Measure to understand your


impacts, set a benchmark and
monitor performance toward
reducing emissions
2. Avoid emitting more carbon by
adapting to a low-carbon business
model
3. Reduce emissions by increasing
energy efficiency
4. Balance historical and unavoidable
emissions, working with projects
that increase positive impacts for
people and planet.

1
Source: Putting a Price on Carbon, Julie’s Bicycle (2021)
How do we work out which emissions we are responsible for?

There are some emissions that are directly under festival organisers’ control – for example,
waste management, energy use, staff travel – while others, such as audience travel or
supply chain impacts, are outside organisers’ direct control but can be influenced through
incentives, contracts and procurement choices.

83% of festivalgoers expect all of the festivals they attend to tackle their environmental
impacts.2

Carbon accounting is approached in terms of scopes. A business is generally responsible for


scope 1 and 2 emissions, and can influence scope 3.

What is a typical festival carbon footprint?

The current benchmark for greenhouse gas emissions per audience day (per person per day
on site) at UK festivals with camping is 1.9 kg CO2e. This includes direct impacts from diesel
use, water use, and waste – but not impacts from transport, travel, and the embodied
carbon impacts of the production of materials, food, merchandise, etc. Travel is typically
over 80% of the overall footprint of an event, however audience and contractor travel is
considered to be scope 3.

Energy typically makes up 77% of a festival’s on-site CO2e footprint, and waste 23%. There
are still blind spots for data on a range of impacts including more detailed audience travel
2
Festival audience attitudes to sustainability. CGA (2019). https://www.cga.co.uk/report-tag/consumer-
research/
data, artist and contractor travel, and material/resource use and food. The sector has
achieved up to 23% reduction in relative emissions per audience day* from energy, waste,
and water, mainly driven by diverting waste from landfill. Overall, total music festival carbon
emissions from energy, waste, and water on-site have risen despite these gains, driven by a
nearly 50% increase in audience numbers in the past five years.

Carbon Balancing

Carbon balancing is a way of funding climate solutions that remove or prevent Green House
Gases from entering the atmosphere (e.g. providing renewable energy to reduce fossil fuel
demand or protecting forest to maintain carbon absorption). Whilst balancing alone should
not be a first priority, or the single answer to climate crisis, it is a valuable tool enabling
businesses to take account for unavoidable emissions now by investing in climate solutions.
Offsets are usually sold as units with a price per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO 2).

“The reality is that we – government, businesses and individuals – need to cut our emissions
by as much as we can, as fast as we can. We also need to invest in projects that will remove
carbon emissions from the atmosphere. It’s not either/ or, it’s both. The same is true of
nature. We need to protect what nature we have left, and we need to restore habitats, not
one or the other. ” 3 Friends of the Earth

For a comprehensive guide to carbon offsetting see Putting a Price on Carbon (Julie’s
Bicycle, 2021) and checkout our partner ecolibrium a charity that works with the live events
and experience industry to tackle the impact of emissions at events. They specifically target
emissions from travel – as this is typically the greatest contributor to carbon footprints –
working with members to measure and reduce emissions and offering carbon balancing
through verified climate solutions programmes. Collectively their event, festival, supplier
and artist members have balanced the equivalent of over 13 million travel miles.

What Next?

1. If you haven’t already, check out these vital resources:

 Show Must Go On Report (2020) HERE

3
Source: Does carbon offsetting work? Friends of The Earth, Feb 2020,
https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/does-carbon-offsetting-work
 Putting a Price on Carbon (Julie’s Bicycle) HERE
 ecolibrium – charity tackling emissions from live events and experiences
HERE
 Vision: 2025 members webinar on Net Zero with Julie’s Bicycle and guests
from Vision: 2025 and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change HERE
 Julie’s Bicycle webinar ‘The Road to Zero Carbon’ HERE.

2. Create a Net Zero plan - Follow the hierarchy for tackling emissions (Note: Vision:
2025 Net Zero Plan Template coming soon for members - October 2021)

3. Set up your account with the free to use Creative Industry Green Tool to measure
your carbon footprint HERE.

And of course, there is more information and inspiration on the Vision: 2025 Resource Hub
HERE.

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