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How do we deliver net-zero water infrastructure?
Written by Ismail Weiliang and Jonny Breen, Principal Digital Consultant, Mott MacDonald, Auckland, New
Zealand
ISMAIL WEILIANG
The Climatebender
JONNY BREEN
PRINCIPAL DIGITAL CONSULTANT
Every contribution counts
Singapore has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Net-zero carbon is the reduction of carbon emissions with the goal of balancing those remaining emissions produced with those emissions removed from the earth’s atmosphere. This is without the allowance for ‘offsetting’ the remaining emissions through ‘carbon credits’. Considering the lifespan of some water assets, those in planning now need to operate in a net zero emissions future and need to be designed accordingly. The greatest opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint is in the earliest stages of projects. Although Singapore’s local water sector emissions represent less than 1.5% of the city-state’s total emissions, in today’s climate, every contribution counts.
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Quick Take:
- The greatest opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint is in the earliest stages of projects.
Net-zero Thinking
The most significant strides are being realised by organisations that embrace and embed “net-zero thinking” in their people and processes and employ digital solutions that support this new way of working. The value of “net-zero thinking” is not merely seen in carbon or financial accounts but through realisation of real triple-bottom line value outcomes across public infrastructure delivery and operations. The right combination of people, process and digital solutions can save millions of tonnes CO2e and dollars. Progress is being made across the water sector in terms of measuring, understanding, and reducing embodied, operational and user carbon. Embodied carbon can pale in comparison in volume to operational carbon. However, this does not diminish the importance of addressing embodied carbon. There is growing importance and greater emphasis on embodied carbon as operational carbon reduces with the transition of green energy.
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Quick Take:
- The right combination of people, process and digital solutions can save millions of tonnes CO2e and dollars.
Baseline calculation
To plan any journey, you first need to understand where you are starting from. The greatest opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint is in the earliest stages of projects. A crucial first step in low carbon thinking is establishing the carbon baseline from both an embodied capital and operational carbon perspective to understand where the hotspots lie within your organization to achieve the biggest reductions. Sufficient information is required to make a realistic baseline scenario. After the scope and period is determined, the programme capital carbon baseline can be formed by calculating embodied carbon footprint of all the assets through the consideration of materials, transport distances, design standards and many more factors.
Reduction Targets
Once you understand your starting point in your carbon reduction journey with a carbon baseline, you can now set an audacious goal for how much reduction on that baseline you want to achieve. The two factors in the reduction target to consider is firstly its size; it needs to aspirational yet achievable. Secondly, where it is applied.
Emission reduction pathways
Calculating the baseline and setting your reduction targets sets the direction you want to go but it can’t be left to the supply chain to achieve this goal. You can help achieve your reduction target through the formation of emissions reduction pathways. These should take into consideration the impact of different choices as well as trade-offs to get a clear understanding of how to best decarbonise.
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Quick Take:
- A crucial first step is establishing the carbon baseline to understand where the hotspots lie to achieve the biggest reductions.
- Calculating the baseline and setting your reduction targets sets the direction you want.
- Formation of emissions reduction pathways can help achieve your reduction target.
Digital as an enabler
This low-carbon thinking is implemented across the design and delivery of more than NZ$15bn of water projects in the UK and NZ through Mott MacDonald’s carbon monitoring digital solution, Moata Carbon Portal. With the digitalisation of net-zero thinking, carbon can be rapidly calculated with digital solutions allowing designers to identify carbon hotspots in a project, enabling a net zero future through facilitating low carbon design. Through Moata Carbon Portal, Mott MacDonald supported New Zealand in their net zero ambitions by empowering designers to identify and implement low carbon thinking throughout the design process. The Moata Carbon portal has been accepted by Auckland Council as a result of the work conducted with Watercare, as the tool of choice for carbon assessments and to drive their low carbon journey.
Figure 1: User Interface for Moata Carbon Portal
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Quick Take:
- With digitalisation of net-zero thinking, carbon can be rapidly calculated enabling a net zero future through facilitating low carbon design.
Action today
Moata Carbon Portal is globally compliant with PAS2080 certification. PAS2080 certification is the world’s first carbon management standard for infrastructure developed in the UK. The framework provides guidance needed on how to initiate and embed low carbon thinking for organizations and nations to drive decarbonization at every level. The objective of addressing climate change to ensure a better sustainable future for generations provides all the motivation needed for action today.
Authors:
Jonny Breen is a digital leader with experience across the full architecture, engineering, construction and software industry leading the digital transformation of businesses and enablement of new technologies.
Ismail Weiliang is a climate resilience consultant with over half a decade of experience and specialises in flood risk advisory for Asia. His work involves advising governments and development banks on strategies to transform climate risks into resilience. He also founded “The Climatebender” a non-profit organisation that provides humanitarian relief to communities vulnerable to the climate crisis.
©2021 The Climatebender