What is Carbon Accounting?

Carbon accounting is use of software to measure and predict the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Software that can be used for a variety of businesses from forestry and farming to corporations, mining and transport companies will give these businesses a way to monitor their greenhouse emissions and will let them know how effective their procedures for managing their carbon footprint is.

For example, foresters who cut down trees can use carbon accounting to see how their business affects greenhouse emissions and can then predict how planting new trees and other plants may lower the level of green house emissions thus reducing their carbon footprint. Corporations too can use carbon accounting to see how effectively their efforts to lower electric and gas usage is in helping to lower the overall “green house effect.”

It is expected that over the next few years as more and more businesses are held to accountability for their carbon emissions that careers in carbon accounting will grow. Carbon accounting consultants and accountants will soon be in high demand and in many cases corporate executives, managers of companies and others will be lining up to takecarbon accounting training in order to more effectively reduce their companies greenhouse emissions and avoid paying that carbon tax.

While carbon accounting has been around in Australia since the early 21st century only now with added pressure for companies to do something about their carbon emissions is carbon accounting become something more people are seeking to understand.

Australia is leading the way in carbon accounting and there are carbon accounting software programs available like the programs the government itself uses. These programs are considered to be the programs of choice as businesses who use this software should be coming up with same carbon accounting figures as the government itself does.

It is the hope of the Australian government that by making carbon accounting programs available that all types of businesses will use this accounting system when trying to reduce their carbon footprint, before engaging in certain activities that may have an adverse effect on the environment, or even when purchasing a new piece of equipment.

Carbon accounting will not only help make those businesses who are the most guilty of emitting greenhouse gasses more aware of the damage they are doing but, also to help those businesses see how even small changes can make a huge difference. Carbon accounting will be a way these businesses can predict and measure how the changes they will make can reduce or add to their carbon footprint and hopefully encourage many businesses to come up with more innovative ideas to solve this problem.

No doubt the citizens of Australia and indeed the world will soon be hearing more about carbon accounting and how it will have a lasting effect on the reduction of greenhouse gasses.