Carbon Accounting
Carbon accounting is the way that producers can determine their annual net greenhouse gas emissions.
A carbon account includes two key elements: emissions released in agricultural production, subtracted by the carbon stored in vegetation, soils and trees on farm.
A carbon account is the net emissions per farm in tonnes CO2 equivalents:
- methane
- carbon dioxide
- nitrous oxide emissions.
A carbon account includes:
- Scope 1 - direct emissions and sequestration on farm
- Scope 2 - emissions from electricity usage
- Scope 3 - some pre-farm emissions.
A carbon footprint is the net emissions per unit product in tonnes CO2 equivalents (for example the carbon emission involved in producing a kilogram of wheat or a litre of milk). A carbon footprint requires scope one, two and three emissions to be included. This is also required for carbon neutral certification under systems such as the Federal Government Climate Active program. A carbon footprint includes:
- the life cycle of all products produced
- pre-farm emissions from purchases, grain and livestock.
Creating a carbon account
There are a number of resources and calculators freely available to support creating a carbon account.
Resources and calculators should be researched to determine the appropriate tools for your enterprise and land use type.
The resources and links on this page have been provided to guide your carbon accounting development in the Limestone Coast.