Measure your impact on planet

Mar 10 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

A NEW web calculator will allow farmers to work out their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration.

The Country Land and Business Association and Savills released the new free calculator on Friday.

The CLA says this will mark a shift in emphasis, meaning important calculations can now be based around greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration.

The calculator – called Calm – can be accessed by anyone via the website www.cla.org.uk.

The software is the result of a project led by the CLA, working in partnership with Savills and supported by the East of England Development Agency and the Crown Estates.

Calm is the first free business-based calculator which shows the balance between annual emissions and carbon sequestration of greenhouse gases associated with the activities of individual land-based businesses.

CLA policy director Professor Allan Buckwell said: “This calculator offers a free, business-based approach for farms and estates and it is quite distinct from carbon footprint calculators devised for specific products. It follows the most widely used, internationally agreed, accounting guidelines for government and businesses to understand, quantify and manage GHG emissions.”

Prof Buckwell says understanding the carbon footprint of a business will help guide management decisions that may mitigate GHG emissions.