Scope 2 emission

Definition

Scope 2 emissions consist of indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the generation of electricity, heat, or steam that is purchased and consumed by an organization.

Key Characteristics

• Indirect in nature: Emissions occur at the facility where energy is generated, not at the reporting organization’s site.
• Energy-focused: Specifically relates to purchased secondary energy carriers.
• Carbon Intensity Dependent: The total footprint is heavily influenced by the fuel mix of the grid or the specific generation source of the purchased energy.
• Sector Relevance: A critical metric for the ICT sector due to the intensive energy requirements of data centers and network infrastructure.

Applications

• Environmental impact reporting for corporations.
• Assessment of ICT sector greenhouse gas trajectories as standardized in ITU-T L.1470.
• Benchmarking the energy efficiency and decarbonization progress of data centers and network operations.

Related Concepts

• Scope 1 emission
• Scope 3 emission
• Greenhouse gas emissions

Related Entities

None identified.

Mentions in Source

• “3.1.10 scope 2 emission [ITU-T L.1450]: On site greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the generation of electricity, heat or steam that has been purchased by the reporting organization.” — ITU-T L.1470 (Greening Digital)
• “b) scope 2, which covers emissions related to purchased energy;” — ITU-T L.1470 (Greening Digital)