News Limited is now a carbon neutral business.
This means that for every bit of greenhouse gas we put into the atmosphere, we take out an equal bit, making our net carbon impact zero.
Carbon Footprint
As part of News Corporation, we began by analysing our global carbon footprint and the energy used in all our operations back in 2006.
A key element of our 2009/10 analysis was the re-baselining of our previous years' numbers to account for any business dynamics such as acquisitions or divestitures, as well as improvements in data availability that have occurred since we began collecting this data in fiscal 2005/6. We will continue to repeat this process annually, including both measuring our current year's footprint and measuring our progress by re-baselining previous years.
In fiscal 2009/10, News Limited’s carbon footprint was 134,880 metric tons of carbon dioxide (or carbon dioxide equivalents), compared with 147,302 metric tons in fiscal 2005/6. This does not include reductions due to purchases of renewable energy.
Methodology
We followed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol established by the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Protocol is the standard manual for measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
We included in our carbon footprint*:
• All fuels used directly by our companies and
• All electricity used in our facilities
• The impacts of business air travel
We recognize that our businesses have other, secondary, impacts that also create greenhouse gas emissions. For example, there are emissions created by products that our businesses purchase. We work with our business partners to address these emissions.
We collected data directly from all our business units to calculate the emissions from our activities. In a minor number of instances, where specific data were not available, qualified independent consultants, Clear Carbon, have made an estimate.
Clear Carbon reviewed the information for consistency and accuracy. Independent third party verification was then undertaken.
Verification
To confirm our carbon footprint for fiscal 2009/10, News Corporation worked again with Cventure LLC (Cventure), an independent third-party company qualified to verify carbon footprint analyses, to conduct an evaluation of our carbon footprint. Cventure audited the methodology, data collection process, and accuracy of the data used in fiscal 2009/10 to establish our carbon footprint and conducted several site visits to directly verify data.
Offsetting Unavoidable Emissions
Some carbon emissions associated with our operations will be unavoidable. To address these inescapable emissions, we use carbon offsets.
A carbon offset is a financial tool to support projects that prevent carbon from being released into the atmosphere. Done right, they widen the implementation of carbon-saving technologies and give an incentive to create new solutions.
We have purchased VCS standard carbon offsets that support renewable energy and other projects. These projects, combined with our energy efficiencies and renewable energy use now mean our net emissions are zero – that is, for every bit of carbon we put into the atmosphere we now take out a bit.
Our Progress in emissions reduction
News Limited has achieved emissions reductions in fiscal year 2009/10 of 18.4% over its 2005/6 base year. This places News Limited on track to achieving its aforementioned 20% emission reduction goal by the end of 2010.
We have, through efficiency, reduced our carbon emissions by 8.4%. An additional 10% reduction has come from renewable energy certificates in the form of “GoldPower”.
External reporting
News Limited reports its energy use and carbon emissions voluntarily as part of the News Corporation Global Energy Initiative. News Corporation reports globally through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an independent not-for-profit organization. Thousands of organizations from across the world’s major economies measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies through CDP.
News Limited was presented with the 2010 CDP carbon reporting disclosure award for the best quality of carbon emission reporting in Australia. The company has also been included in the Carbon Disclosure Leaders Index (CDLI) for Australia and New Zealand.
Globally, News Corporation was the highest scoring media company, with a total of 94 points out of 100. News Corporation ranked equal sixth on the CDP Global 500 and equal second on the S&P 500 Top 10 companies on both the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index and the Carbon Performance Leadership Index. Go to the CDP website for further information.
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*We used the “control method” of including 100% of the emissions associated with businesses we directly control. We included all Global, corporate-wide GHG emissions inventory covering: Scope I direct emissions from fuel combustion, refrigerant loss, and mobile sources; Scope II emissions from imported electricity and steam; “green” (i.e., renewable) energy purchases included, and debited from Scope II total electricity consumption; and Scope III emissions associated with business air travel. Boundaries included owned and leased facilities, and “on location” operations, on an operational control basis. CO2, CH4, and N2O direct combustion and electricity generation emissions and HFC refrigerant gas emissions were estimated. News Corporation has no SF6 or PFC emissions.