Landscape Carbon Tracker
How should a landscape measure its emissions?
As a local authority, protected area or landscape you want to measure your area’s emissions, set ambitious reduction targets, and track the impact of actions and initiatives to reduce them.
But it’s a confusing picture. Do you measure emissions coming directly from your region, territorial emissions that are comparable with the Government’s Nationally Determined Contributions? Or do you measure the full carbon emitted from the activities of your residents, visitors and industries? These consumption-based emissions come from the things that people buy and do – from travel to the goods, services and food that people buy. Some of these areas will be priorities for your policies and community engagement.
What should your targets be? With 1.5° C of warming slipping by, is it more realistic to set targets for 1.7° C, or align with the less ambitious UK’s 7th Carbon Budget. How can you ensure your targets are science-based across all areas?
Our work with landscapes, from small private estates to local city, district and county councils, all of the UK’s National Parks, and multiple National Landscapes, has shown us there are benefits to looking at emissions and targets using both territorial and consumption data. So, our solution gives you both.
Developed with our clients
We've worked with clients who together are responsible for around 20% of the UK’s land area.
We responded to our client’s needs to measure their baseline emissions, set reduction targets, track progress and visualise the data so they can engage with their stakeholders.
We developed sophisticated and adjustable land use opportunity mapping as part of setting science-based targets for emission reductions.
The result is our Landscape Carbon Tracker tool.
Measure, target and track your emissions
The Landscape Carbon Tracker shows your region’s emissions through the territorial, consumption and customised hybrid lenses.
A clear set of targets and the overall trajectory out to 2050 show recommended reductions in emissions from residents, visitors, industry and land. Land use change targets are set from detailed opportunity mapping that combines what is ecologically possible with realistic constraints and your policy priorities. Specific graphs display your priority areas for policy and engagement.
Improve your analysis and engagement to help drive real-world action:
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Compare territorial, consumption and a customised hybrid view of your emissions, decarbonisation targets and yearly progress in reducing emissions.
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See the differences in ambition with target setting aligned to both 1.7° C and 2° C warming (the latter corresponding to the 7th Carbon Budget).
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Engage your teams, partners and communities with clear graphs and maps showing the specific policy areas they most relate to.
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Set achievable targets for land use change using specific woodland opportunity maps for your region, with peatland restoration and regenerative agriculture mapping also available in appropriate landscapes. [See the methodology used to create our industry-leading opportunity mapping]
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Clearly see GHG emissions from land use and from agriculture, coupled with carbon sequestration from land, with bespoke targets based on your land use change ambition.
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Use the data for your CDP submission.
“ I really enjoyed working with SWC on the background data for our CDP Disclosure. They are smart and quick and great to work with. They're a brilliant mix of being excellent at the detail whilst totally getting the bigger picture. They understand what the data can tell us. I have never ever found them patronising. I love working with them and they give me positive energy and hope. ”
Anne Jackson, Research and Intelligence Adviser
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority.
Landscape Carbon Tracker features:
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Current baseline emissions viewed through territorial, consumption-based and customised hybrid lenses.
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Overall trajectory showing year-on-year progress compared to annual targets up to 2050.
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Interactive graphs allow you to zoom in on selected types of emissions and show the amounts in pop-ups for every bar.
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Excel downloads of data for every graph.
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Image downloads of every graph.
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High-resolution spatial opportunity maps for land use change that underpin the annual targets.
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Downloads of the underpinning national data cut to your region / landscape.
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See changes in local visitor behaviour and land use reflected in carbon reporting, from data you provide as STEAM, visitor surveys and land use change statistics.
Join the discussion on landscape emissions reporting
We’re bringing together local authorities to look at the differences between consumption-based and territorial emissions reporting and target setting, and explore the ways to use this analysis to scale up decarbonisation efforts across local partnerships.
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Join us for an overview of what your region's emissions look like through both the territorial and consumption-based lenses and how a customised hybrid view could help you maximise your influence to drive decarbonisation across your landscape.
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Hear from other local authorities who’ve already measured their emissions and set ambitious targets, including by joining the Race to Zero campaign and making CDP emissions disclosures, and incorporated the carbon assessments into their delivery plans.
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Ask our Small World Consulting team questions. We will draw on our experience of working with dozens of local authorities across the UK to provide guidance on landscape-level emissions reporting, target setting and stakeholder engagement using our Landscape Carbon Tracker tool.
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Webinar dates in June, July and September.