Madrid is able to verify and certify the carbon footprint of its public transport

The capacity to measure and monitor carbon emissions from transport is critical to Europe’s race towards climate neutrality. Cities and regions - many of whom are part of the European Commission’s Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission - are implementing cutting-edge measures to reduce dependency on polluting vehicles; yet, understanding the impacts of these is frequently complex and burdensome.

As a result, the ability of EMT Madrid, the Spanish capital’s transport operator, to calculate, verify and certify the direct and indirect carbon emissions of its operations comes at a critical time in the city’s drive for more sustainable urban mobility.

"Today EMT reaches another milestone on its path towards decarbonisation, an objective in line with the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy and with the Strategic Plan that sets the course of the organisation until 2025", stated the delegate for Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility, Borja Carabante.

The calculation and verification of the company's emissions has taken into account Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from the company's own and controlled sources), Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from the production of energy that the organisation purchases) and Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions from sources that are not owned by the company as customers, suppliers, commuting, or waste disposal).

This calculation and verification provide key information for establishing strategies to reduce emissions. The analysis of the data allows the identification of the need for action and thus enables the preparation of a Reduction Plan containing appropriate measures. The carbon assessment methodology also enables the estimation of the reduction that these measures should deliver. This step involves obtaining the carbon footprint calculation seal from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The next steps for the municipal company will be to comply with the established reduction targets.