Digging deeper for net zero

Photograph of two heritage professionals on site

The transition to a net zero society is dependent on understanding how our activities contribute to emissions and taking actions to reduce and mitigate these. In development, climate change assessments form a distinct part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process as laid out in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. However, there is currently little understanding or consideration for how the entire project lifecycle contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the emissions from the assessment process itself and the use of digital tools to support development design, planning and construction are currently little understood.

The IES’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Community held a joint event with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) to explore the often under-considered greenhouse gas emissions related to development. The event featured lightning provocations exploring different aspects of emissions that can occur throughout a project lifecycle, including downstream emissions, the impact of heritage assessments, digital-related emissions, and the importance of lifecycle analysis to support low carbon construction.

Our speakers

Kate Tandy, Office for Environmental Protection, explored the implications of the Finch Judgement for EIAs and the role of downstream emissions. You can watch a separate webinar that she presented last year on this topic on our YouTube channel for more information.
Dan Phillips, Hertfordshire County Council, discussed how heritage and archaeological assessments can support a reduction in their emissions through exploring different methodologies and approaches and increasing the non-intrusive aspects of their work.
Claire Boardman, University of York, presented on the impact of digital behaviour on carbon emissions and considerations for how they can be reduced.
Alan Chandler, University of East London, highlighted the importance of lifecycle analysis to reduce carbon emissions and unlock benefits for society, using an example of an innovate approach to producing low carbon construction materials that are more ethical and sustainable.

Watch the lightning provocations

These provocations were followed by an interactive discussion bringing together professionals from across specialisms including EIA professionals, planners and those working in archaeology and heritage assessments to discuss a holistic approach to understanding the carbon emissions from the entire lifecycle of a project and consider how they can support reduced carbon emissions both within projects and in their own activities. By bringing together interested professionals from CIfA and the IES we hope to share ideas, inspiration and provocation, as we work to improve our industry for the future of our communities and our planet.

Summary of discussion

Greater collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector is needed

Environmental and heritage experts need to be involved as equal partners in the design process, along with planners, architects and developers, in order to minimise emissions whilst limiting risk to the natural environment and heritage assets. Read previous work that the EIA Community has done on the importance of EIA professionals being involved in the design process - Reframing EIA: A tool for better design for people and planet.
More communication across specialisms within the EIA process is needed to support better decision making across the project lifecycle and to understand where flexibility in the scheme may exist to make overall improvements.
Greater collaboration could also support a reduction in emissions from on-site investigations. For example, undertaking field evaluations and ground investigations in collaboration could reduce the number of excavations needed on the site and the subsequent related emissions.
Given the international importance of carbon reduction it was agreed that collaboration and engagement with existing international structures and networks is needed to share learning and explore innovative approaches. In particular, it was raised that heritage professionals should be engaging with key organisations such as the UNFCCC, Climate Heritage Network, and Green Buildings Council.

Securing multiple benefits from development

Considering development holistically will be an important part of securing multiple benefits from sites whilst supporting carbon reduction. For example, it was raised that for solar developments it is important to consider how they can be paired with other uses such as crop growth or creation of habitat banks for off-site Biodiversity Net Gain.
There needs to be a greater understanding of the trade-offs between different focus areas in order to secure multiple benefits. For example, a solar farm may be able to contribute to crop growth or biodiversity, but this may only be achievable if there is suboptimal solar power generation. Considering how we achieve a sensible balance will be important – engaging with local authorities and planners on this point will be essential.

Taking a holistic view to support prioritisation and efficiency

Prioritisation and efficiency is key. What is the minimal amount of information needed to support robust decision-making that protects our natural environment and heritage and how can this information be collected in a way that minimises emissions? This will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Targeting action at the methods and techniques with a large carbon footprint should be the priority. This will require data on the different emissions associated with the different methodologies and will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
It was discussed that it is important to take a holistic view of a development to understand how carbon emissions will be affected throughout the lifecycle of a project. For example, wind farms in Scotland are often proposed on areas with high carbon organic soils. It is important to consider how carbon emissions from the soil in response to the development balance against the carbon reduction achieved through the development of a new renewable energy source. The Scottish Government has developed a tool to support understanding in this area: Carbon calculator for wind farms on Scottish peatlands. Similar tools would be useful to support holistic decision-making for other types of developments.
When considering methodologies for assessments, the impact of digital emissions should not be overlooked. For example, it is important to explore how large file sizes associated with detailed remote sensing surveys may compare with emissions from on-site investigations. For heritage assessments, it was raised that good practice around the development of data management plans is key to minimise emissions from data.

Data and innovation to support carbon reduction

Understanding how different assessment techniques impact overall carbon emissions, and what information is needed when, is important to support decision-making.
Different methods may have carbon reductions in some areas but not in others. For example, its not just the methods of disturbance in field assessments that release carbon, but also the disturbing of the ground itself and how many times it is disturbed. This should be factored into decision-making when planning effective assessments.
Standard ways of measuring impact need to be developed across the sector to support decision-making, practice and monitoring of impact. For example, how can you calculate the carbon emissions of archiving in the cloud, what is the carbon disturbance for 1 square kilometre based on soil depth, type etc.?
A greater focus on practice-based research, as well as comparative research for different approaches, could support filling the data and evidence gaps.

Next steps

This event highlighted the importance of greater communication and collaboration across those involved in environmental and heritage assessments, as well as the importance of these professionals being involved in the design stage of projects.

Data and evidence on carbon emissions from different assessment methodologies are also needed to support a reduction in the emissions from the entire lifecycle of a project, and this is still an emerging area requiring further research, innovation and development of best practice.

The IES will continue to engage and collaborate with other organisations in the sector to support knowledge exchange across specialisms and disciplines and encourage our members to get involved and share their views and knowledge.

How can I get involved?

Join the IES for its annual conference, Dialogue Between Disciplines, dedicated to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing between environmental professionals from across specialisms and sectors.

Join the IES’s EIA Community, which provides a forum for thought-provoking, critical conversations around EIA from a science-based perspective. The Community aims to connect and support environmental scientists and practitioners working across a range of specialisms involved in the EIA process.

Join the Heritage Carbon Reduction Network. This Knowledge Hub network is open to the whole heritage sector to encourage cross sector sharing and discussion. It provides an informal online space for heritage professionals to ask questions, share ideas and resources, and generally discuss the issues around carbon literacy, carbon reduction and the historic environment. Request to join the Knowledge Hub online.

Find out more about the resources provided on CIfA’s climate change webpage including our carbon reduction guide table, case studies and infographics illustrating the heritage sector carbon emissions.

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