REDuction: Insights for effective GHG emission reduction actions

REDuction is a web-based tool that provides a measurement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the actions of National Societies at the local level. This calculation has a pedagogical objective, facilitating a greater and better understanding of the organisational footprint and promoting reflection on the points where to act in order to start implementing reduction actions.

 

This tool was developed by the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation in 2021 as a response to the commitments of the National Societies of the Mediterranean Conference included in the Sarajevo Declaration (2019) on Climate Change and Environment. The development and dissemination of this tool facilitates the approach of this issue to National Societies interested in starting to work on it, as well as to volunteers and staff. In the case of the National Societies that were already working in this area, the implementation of this solution has served as a first step for the implementation of reduction actions and for the awareness-raising work at local level with volunteers and staff through the use of the tool. REDuction responds to the premise ‘what is not calculated, does not exist’, since, being aware of the impact of our actions on the environment as Red Cross Red Crescent, we have established the starting point to start working. This solution is also aligned with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ environment strategy and Strategy 2030.

 

REDuction is a website with two sections : 

 

• 1st part: information about the ‘Calculate – Reduce – Offset’ strategy, why we should calculate our CO2 footprint, the description of the scopes, the framework of the Movement’s climate action and basic indications to take into account before starting the calculation.

 

• 2nd part: tool for the calculation of the footprint through very simple steps that guide the incorporation of the data grouped by the different scopes. The tool offers the option of calculating all the scopes or the ones you choose independently. From the calculation of the CO2 Footprint, the website also offers concrete measures to reduce it. 

 

In order to implement the tool, pilot tests were carried out with three Mediterranean National Societies (Croatian RC, Italian RC and Portuguese RC) and the improvements proposed by them were incorporated. In the process of discussion and implementation, the tool has been translated into different languages to facilitate its use, and specifically at the request of the Italian RC and the Croatian RC, it has been translated into their own languages to bring the tool closer to their staff and volunteers. This is an option offered by the Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean to facilitate the approach and use of the tool to a greater number of National Societies. From the feedback collected in the different meetings held during the piloting of the tool, the pedagogical nature of the tool is highlighted, as well as its ease of use. The National Societies also valued the tool as a useful resource to initiate the development of actions related to climate change and environment at local level in some assemblies that were interested in addressing this issue but had not implemented any action in this regard.