Avoided emissions
Definition
Avoided emissions refer to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur outside the lifecycle or value chain of an ICT solution, but which are directly attributed to its deployment.
Key Characteristics
- Occur outside the primary lifecycle or value chain of the ICT product or service.
- Quantified as the difference between a reference scenario (baseline) and an implementation scenario enabled by ICT.
- Distinguished from the direct environmental footprint (first-order effects) of the ICT hardware itself.
- Serve as a core metric for evaluating the positive climate impact of digital transformation.
Applications
- Assessing the impact of smart energy grids and precision agriculture on sectoral emissions.
- Identifying and quantifying digital solutions that enable Net Zero transitions in industries such as transportation, manufacturing, and building management.
- Providing standardized reporting for corporate sustainability disclosures regarding positive climate contributions.
Mentions in Source
- “This Recommendation covers the assessment of GHG emissions reduction in other sectors due to specific ICT solutions, while providing enhanced methodological guidance to help society to identify ICT solutions and implementations enabling Net Zero.” — ITU-T L.1480 (Greening by Digital)