Avoided Emissions Framework (AEF)
1.5 °C Compatibility Assessment of tools/initiatives
Opportunities
Challenges
Description
Description comments
What the assessment is meant to be used for
4. Increased positive impact: The purpose of the methodology is to calculate the potential avoided emissions from a specific solution, highlighting the potential as well as discussing aspects that may affect the impact of the solution uncertainties related to implementation, such as equivalent or competing solutions,market volume and market share
5. Investor information: The data is meant to be used directly by innovators and solution providers, but also for actors interesting in financial viability as well as political priortization and investment of resources
Scope of assessment
1. Avoided Emissions: Main focus of methodology
Stakeholder focus
2. SMEs/Start-ups: The methodology is mainly focused at providing assessments of solutions developed by start-up companies and SMEs, but can in theory be applied on most solutions
3. Investors: One of the purposes of the innovation is to provide data on which assessments have the largest potential, which is largely meant to provide input for investors in relation to long-term (2030 and beyond) investments
Assessment activities
1. Developing Principles (Offering high-level standards to begin to align stakholders: In addition to providing assesments of individual solutions, AEF was also designed to allign and gather various actors within the field of of avoided emissions and other assessment methodologies for assessing solutions (such as other LCA-focused methodologies)
5. Standardizing evalualtion (Independent 3rd party evaluation based on publicly available data): The AEF methodology is based on a description and data input from the solution provider, which is matched and verified with publically available data (using suitable data sources depending on the specific solution in question).
Time horizon
2. 2030: 2030 is used as the default implementation year for solutions in the methodology
Methodology
2. Case studies: The methodology focuses on assessment individual solutions and others like it on a global market
Approach
2. Delivering new solutions to needs: Fundamentally the methodology was developed to identify high impact solutions that can replace and compete and complement with existing solutions
State of development
3. Working (but limited users): The methodology is largely function (although under continous development) but the number of assessment is currently limited to strategic actors and solution providers
Process
2. Delta (made to help innovations/companies improve): The assessment is meant to highlight the potential of solutions, thus providing input to various stakeholders to act on
Assessment unit
2. Individual solutions (economic, leagal, etc): AEF assessments focus on individual solutions in a global setting
Solution categories
1. All possible solutions: There is little to no limitation related to what solution can be assessed using the AEF methodology
3. Minimum level of avoided emission: Part of the result of the AEF calculation (based on a sensitivity analyis)
Solution areas
1. Technical: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
2. Business models: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
3. Financial: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
4. Legal: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
5. PR/Communication: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
6. Policy/Governance: The AEF actively works to include all types of solutions
Process for verifying data
2. Open data: Data provided by stakeholders is generally verified with public data (unless to niche/no data is found)
Data provided by
1. Start-up/company: The description and fundamental information related to individual solutions is provided by the solution provider
1.5 C Pathway Focus
5. N/A, unknown: The methodology assessment does not have a focus on a specific pathway (as it can be applied to most types of solution), although its development is inspired by large-scale implementation of P4-compatible solutions (low-energy demand)
Scale of operations
2. Total avoided emissions: Data presented in relation to the progress of the methodology and project is generally presented as the total potential avoided emissions calculated in the project
1.5 °C Compability Assessment comments
Opportunities
1. Help establish a dynamic solution perspective: Main focus
2. Quick and Easy Assessment: In isolation the framework is largely focused on avoided emissions, however there is work ongoing to combine the assessments with a focus on 1.5C compatibility and core human needs
4. 1.5 °C Compatible: In isolation the framework is largely focused on avoided emissions, however there is work ongoing to combine the assessments with a focus on 1.5C compatibility and core human needs
5. Need focus for 11 Billion with equity encouragement (Global south agenda): In isolation the framework is largely focused on avoided emissions, however there is work ongoing to combine the assessments with a focus on 1.5C compatibility and core human needs
6. Solutions have Synergies with other sustainability goals: In isolation the framework is largely focused on avoided emissions, however there is work ongoing to combine the assessments with a focus on 1.5C compatibility and core human needs
7. + 1000 and/or > 10 Gigatonnes of potential solutions: Main focus
9. Focus on clustering of solutions (across existing sectors): Work has been done in collaboration with clusters/incubators such as Social Alpha
Challenges
1. Lock-in Potential from the solutions: Some solutions may appear as disruptive/transformative in theory, but not necessarily be so in practice (not unique to this specific initiative)
2. Supply and End-of-Pipe Focus: Some solutions may appear as disruptive/transformative in theory, but not necessarily be so in practice (not unique to this specific initiative)
5. Resource Intensive Solutions: Some solutions may appear as disruptive/transformative in theory, but not necessarily be so in practice (not unique to this specific initiative)
6. Only Focus on Problems rather than Human Needs: In its current form, the AEF doesn't not specifically focus on core human needs (although the project as a whole has a large focus on it)
7. Excluding other sustainability aspects (biodiversity and poverty): As the main current focus is on avoided emissions (i.e. calculating a number of CO2 equivalents to measure potential) there is not a focus on other aspects by default (although it can be included where appropriate)
9. No filter to support sustainable solutions for an equitable world with 11 billion: As the AEF is often used as a way to allign different stakeholders' view and work on sustainability, some assessments conducted are for strategic purposes rather than for it's potential in relation to sustainability