Do you know? The World Green Building Council’s statistic over the past two decades tells that the US students’ oral reading fluency jumps by 36% due to the standard lighting conditions improved by 16%.
Every 100 parts per million rise in CO2 drives to one-half day per year absent in the UK.
Finnish students have achieved 4% more correct answers in a maths test when exposed to a thermally comfortable learning environment.
The noise level increased by 10 dB, the French students will score 5.5 points less.
Having our youths study at the optimal lighting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and acoustics conditions will boost their education excellency; the meaning behind is to reduce the energy used and carbon emission – this is the goal of having a green building.
To participate in the green building action, what you need to comprehend is:
Green construction practices – minimising the use of resources, energy, and waste production, and selecting green building materials;
Professional environmental measurements, including noise, dust, indoor air quality, indoor acoustics, and vibration;
What to do with submitting all necessary information, reports, and documents to the Architect, Engineer, and Project professionals’ satisfaction;
What relevant green building credits you acquire to ultimately achieved a higher environmental star standard and enhance its comfortability for potential users.
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Interior lighting design analysis is one of the indoor environmental qualities that green buildings address.
There are two objectives in achieving IEQ (BEAM Society):
1) Ensure the adequacy and maintenance of visual comfort conditions achieved by the electric lighting provisions in occupied spaces; 2) Ensure artificial lighting provisions in common areas and service areas such as plant rooms.
How do we do the interior lighting design analysis? The answer is the modelling method, calculation and assumptions.
First, we will identify a daylight scene to take daylighting into account during the calculation to build the lighting model. Depends on the user’s selection, a specific time or different sky models can be adopted.
Next is to insert a new room in the model. The size of the room, the material of the ceiling, walls and floor are defined. The user can customise the reflection factor or follow the default setting of the corresponding building material. Room elements such as windows, doors or pillars are then inserted into the created room.
After completing the building shell, the model will indicate to add indoor lighting. The luminaire can be selected from the database or customise by the user. If custom lighting is used, the luminous flux, power, light colour information is required.
To calculate the Lux level (the standard unit for measuring the light level intensity) of the indoor area, we will have to insert a calculation surface specifying the assessment height after all the parameters mentioned above are correctly inputted. We can export a contour showing the Lux level at the calculation surface from the program.
It is essential to conduct an accurate analysis that can be used to prove and apply a reputable certification such as green building certification. Our track record is conducting a daylight access analysis for a 30-Classroom Secondary School at Development in Hong Kong to evaluate the potential sensitivity to the adjacent residents and government institutions, the interior lighting design, and pursue the BEAM Plus certification.
Utilising the DIALux lighting design software to evaluate the Site’s interior lighting design, we considerably assess the quality and quantity of the lighting system performance. The analysis includes maintaining horizontal and appropriate vertical illuminance, illuminance variation, limiting glare index, colour rendering, and modulation of light output applicable to the type and use of the premises/indoor spaces.
We strictly comply with the authoritative guidance:
* CIE Standard S 008/E Lighting of Indoor Work Places * CIE 117- 1995 Discomfort Glare in Interior Lighting * The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers * Code for interior lighting (CIBSE) and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America * Lighting Handbook, Reference & Applications (IESNA) publications, or equivalent
and attentively focus on the specific requirements on lighting for comfort and productivity and excluding the non-requested information from consideration. This project has been finally awarded BEAM Plus V1.2 for NB IEQ 16 & 17.
Lighting quality is a complicated subject and integrates task performance, visual comfort, social communication, mood, health, safety, well-being and aesthetic judgment. It is also related to economics and the environment regarding the installation, maintenance and operation of the lighting system. Proper lighting maintenance practice, such as cleaning lamps, luminaires, and replacing lights periodically to avoid depreciation, is crucial to maintain good lighting quality throughout the whole life of the lighting installation. Besides energy conservation, power quality and control benefit from dimmable high-frequency electronic ballasts. The high-frequency modulation avoids the problem of ‘flicker’ that can occur when using mains frequency ballasts.
We spend long hours indoors for almost 90%. Let’s consider the importance of indoor environmental quality and have it improve for our humanity.
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Sustainability embraces a sense of stewardship for the natural environment, harmonious with business’s ethical and professional conduct. What haunts our climate and environment most is carbon emission, which we do not see with our bare eyes. Coming into our daily lives, real estate is the significant entity shaping our sustainable future. Can you imagine how many buildings do we need to keep us safe and warm? The global population will surpass 8 billion by 2030. Over 60% of the world’s population (4.9 billion people) will be living in urban environments. Economically, 61% of global GDP will converge on the largest 750 cities. We will demand 260 million new homes, 540 million m2 of new office space, and 60 million new jobs in industry (World Economic Forum).
The severity of climate change has been shaping our way of livings and doing. On the other way round, our actions alter the climate. The moment right now is not to maintain the emission level to prevent climate change but to recover the environment from severe damage. According to World Economic Forum, the real estate sector consumes more energy than any other sector. Carbon emission measurement is complex. World Economic Forum urges this notable CO2 emission of the real estate sector to wake up from the critical situation derived:
The sector uses over 40% of global energy yearly;
20% of total global greenhouse gas emissions start from buildings;
There is a forecasted 56% jump in building CO2 emissions by 2030;
A 7% increase in the proportionate portion of global GHG emissions is foreseen by 2030;
Buildings hire 40% of raw materials globally.
World Bank estimates a 1.25% reduction in annual energy consumption and a 3% reduction in annual emissions from the real estate sector will be closer to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The new non-CO2 emitting energy for the built environment is the ultimate target to save our earth.
Therefore, we have green buildings. It is expected that commercial buildings with green elements to rise to 55% in 2020. Lower operating cost is the decisive driving factor to trigger green building popularity (World Green Building Trends Report). Marketably, green buildings support brandings and public relations. When it comes to corporate social responsibility, it is the right thing to do. What about the investors’ preferences? JLL, a global commercial real estate services company, unveils that 50% of investors across the APAC region, including Australia, China, India, Japan, and Singapore, will prioritise green-certified real estate for the corporate occupiers’ commitment to net zero. JLL claims 70% of APAC companies are unhesitant to pay a rental premium to rent sustainability-certified buildings at the business operation level.
Besides the target of the 1.5°C and all of the economic perspective, the corporates would find it hard to apprehend the green building value chain where the sustainability lies from Design, Construct, Buy, Sell and Rent, Manage, Retrofit, and last but not most minor, End of Life. At the design and construction stage, the builders have to put the followings in their mind:
environmental monitoring
green building specialist assessments such as noise from building equipment
life cycle costing
water saving or reduction estimations
water quality survey
indoor air quality (IAQ)
thermal comfort measurements
construction IAQ management
room acoustic and vibration, etc.
Intelligent technologies are undoubtedly one of the viable solutions. World Economic Forum reveals that innovative technology for new buildings saves c.44 Mt CO2e. World Cities Submit presents that the use of virtual technology reduces 20 percent of heat gain. What are these intelligent environmental initiatives in real estate?
Data Management Platform It is a digital dashboard available for universal accessibility as long as with the Internet connection. The dashboard keeps track of key performance indicators (KPIs) – for example, energy use, water usage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By forecasting risks, the property owners can minimise asset depreciation and essential maintenance expenditure. The energy consumption can be adjusted to the efficiency level.
Photo above: ESG dashboard to record greenhouse gases emission and resources consumption for a more efficient management
Digital Inspections and Predictive Maintenance The asset performance goes downward because of getting old. Predictive maintenance with a designated dashboard can identify inefficient operation in advance, which would lead to further use of energy, carbon emission, and eventually higher operating cost. Utilising the modern Internet of Things with the digital platform masters the laborious tasks for humans inspections. The preventive act has a legitimate aim – when the potential failure can cause a severe casualty, property owners have the responsibility to reduce the risk of catastrophic failure. Preventive maintenance practice has been proved by the outstanding accuracy and the cost reduction result.
Video above: The bottom line is the final total of an account or balance sheet. In 1994, the bottom line concept was essentially transformed because of the entrepreneur and business writer John Elkington. The triple bottom line was coined. The three bottom lines (Profit, People, and Planet) harmonise seamlessly with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) that the corporates are coping with nowadays. But how to practice sustainability, based on an accounting framework.
Buildings have a lifespan of 50-80 years before they are demolished and replaced. Property owners who have a passion for achieving sustainability in their properties should also consider the end of life and zero waste construction and retrofit and adaptation for Life-Span Extension. All of the above are professional environmental practices. Engage a digital and ecological expert to support your projects to achieve a higher environmental standard in compliance with relevant credit requirements.
Video above: Do you know? According to the official website, BEAM Plus, formerly known as HK-BEAM (first initiated in 1996), is one of the most widely used voluntary green building certification schemes of its kind globally, on a per capita basis.
Video above: Managed service is the outsource practice to support the project managers at ease with the critical, time-consuming administration and management tasks. Why outsource the critical tasks? What are the advantages in hiring managed service?
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Why do we need to put our task into digitalisation? Digitalisation used to be our entertainment. Now, digitalisation comes to the workplace. Not only because of the COVID-19 epidemic but also because of its versatility and applicability.
The world shifts to digitalisation to reach widespread communication. Environmental practitioners possess pieces of knowledge; digitalisation transforms the experience into a digestible presentation. The challenge is for us to adopt and combine all the expertise into one.
In practical terms, a digital working environment facilitates connection, enhances intelligence and versatility, encourages transparency, embraces collaboration and mobility, attains productivity, allows fair-minded and inclusion, and improves accuracy.
The digitalised workflow guides us throughout the discipline. Company culture and technology interact with digital working principles. At the back end, data management, quality, and standards are essential to ensure integrity. Effective communications lead to accessibility for all needs while maintaining security and confidentiality.
Digitalisation does not merely mean converting records of text, image, or sound into a format that computers can process. The need for workflow improvement directs to an automated operation. Automation is not to replace humans, but to enhance our work efficiency and accuracy.
An automated monitoring system supported by a technology platform empowers authorised parties to operate through various IT devices, including smartphones and tablets. The system automatically signals the breaches and verifies the sources. All data is filed and immediately accessible for use. The system contributes substantial savings in human resources and costs for site monitoring works and enhances information distribution amongst project parties.
By applying to the vibration field, vibration monitoring systems can manage multiple vibration sources. Powered by state-of-the-art information technology, vibration monitoring systems provide the users with a multimedia platform for timely reporting and productive communication among contractors, environmental teams, inspectors, project proponents, the Authorities, and the managers of the vibration sources. The system is designed to comply with regulations and standards; The system will perform compliance checks throughout the monitoring process.
Proper monitoring management means so much for human lives in specific functional applications. In the age of digitalisation, we are leveraging automation into the environmental area, reshaping our modern approach in environmental monitoring.
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Humans hear because our ears function to allow us to feel the vibration of the sound power emitted from the source object. Therefore, we need an instrument that hears the way we do for noise monitoring. This is the sound level meter. The weighting network built-in in the sound level meter will function to weigh. It is working like our ears, which emphasises or weighs some parts compared to others.
Photo above: Norsonic sound level meter
In the world of digitalisation, we fully utilise the Internet and website to conduct monitoring. The noise data collected by the sound level meter will be transferred via the Internet. We will make good use of the dashboard to view the data collected online. The digitalisation saves the human resources we used to need for monitoring. We can now easily retrieve the data in real-time and the historical records.
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Photo above: d-Noise monitoring platform
What kind of data should we record? First and foremost, the dB of our monitored environment. The corresponding date and time are to let us find out when the particular event happens. And this is the reason why we need historical data over a period. Additionally, we may want to know about the weather condition as the rainy day may force us to abandon the monitoring for the rain splash sound. Sometimes, you want to monitor the sound levels at several locations. A station list with the map embedded on the dashboard is a helpful tool to reveal which station you are reviewing.
You have learned about the critical elements of noise measurement. Now, let’s act together – Observe your environment; Identify the noisy areas you would like to monitor; Know your noise monitoring device; Set up the noise monitoring station; Learn the dashboard to record the data; Brief about noise monitoring factors and mitigation measures. Study the noise in your environment for a period. You will find out the characteristic of your place and think about what to do.
We bear a responsibility to protect and improve the environment. Can you think of a way of creativity to deal with the noise problem you have? Any thought about utilising a noise absorption material to design the mitigation with aesthetics in mind?
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Put yourself into the shoes of a sleepless victim who endure mosquitos emitting a whining sound at night. Certainly, mosquitos sound would not make you lose hearing, but you can say it is noise because of the headache, hearing high-pitched noises, exhaustion, dizziness, and nausea mosquitos cause you. Noise is an unwanted sound connected with the feeling of annoyance.
What is sound? Sound is the vibration transformation into a sound wave through a medium of gaseous, liquid, or solid elastic. The sound wave variation determines whether humans can hear about the sound. Human ears can detect variations at least 20 times a second, but not more frequent than 20000 times a second (20Hz-20kHz). And, this is Hertz.
What is a decibel? dB is a ratio between received and transmitted signal strength on a log scale. 1dB is the slightest variation that human ears can detect. 3dB differences are equivalent to the double of the sound level. The sound level humans receive comprises the sound reflected from the wall and the amount of sound being transmitted into adjacent rooms.
Human ears would not receive the complete sound level emitting from the objects. A certain level would be lost in transmission. Sound power level is the acoustic energy emitted from the source. Another concept is Sound pressure level, which measures what humans hear—the sound pressure level results from the sound energy ejected from the source transmitting to a received location. Sound power is the cause, and sound pressure is the effect.
What happens if we have more than one noise source in the room? Is the result the sum of the individual sound pressures? No, it is not the sum of the particular sound pressures.
What you should do is measure the sound pressure level of each object and calculate the difference. Look at the graph below, find the dB point on the horizontal axis, and find the value on the vertical axis according to the intersection. Add the value onto the most vociferous object. Another method is to calculate the total sound power with an equation.
Now, you have an idea what sound and noise are about. How do we practically and scientifically study noise in our environment?
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
The new Acoustic Calibration Centre (ACC) has been recently accredited in Hong Kong in 2021.
HOKLAS Accreditation
ACC is now accredited by Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) under the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS), which has been mutually recognised by 53 laboratory accreditation bodies (58 accreditation schemes) in 45 economies.
Photo above: Why do you need third-party calibration?
Track Records
Since 2000, ACC has completed more than three hundred calibrations. The most remarkable track record is that ACC has been appointed to design the sound-level meter calibration laboratory for the Environmental Protection Department of HKSAR in consecutive years.
The State-of-art Calibration System
ACC equips with the state-of-art calibration system – Norsonic NOR1504A – from one of the world’s leading specialist acoustic instrumentation manufacturers. The system assures all the relevant standards to comply with during the testing. The accuracy of our testing and measuring equipment (Norsonic NOR1504A) is regularly tested by the Standard and Calibration Laboratory of HKSAR. The measurement unit of Norsonic NOR1504A is traceable to the International System of Units (SI), stringent and accepted universally. Our acoustic professionals run the test with the standards-complied calibration system to identify any instrument deficiency.
Photo above: What can our calibration lab do for you?
Uniqueness
ACC is the only centre accredited by HOKLAS in Hong Kong eligible to conduct the real-time one-third octave band analyser test. The verification goes after the parameters attenuation in the pass-band 0.1 dB and Attenuation outside the pass-band 1.8 dB specified in IEC 61260:1995, which the test for IEC 61260:1995 is difficult and time-consuming if executed manually. The calibration offer of the real-time one-third octave band analyser makes ACC unique.
Photo above: Calibration standards to comply
Service scopes
As the standards change, ACC has evolved with the refurbished calibration laboratory requirements – superseded IEC651 and IEC 804 by IEC 61672 and IEC61260. We calibrate both sound level meters and calibrators of Classes I and II variations, following a wide range of international standards, including IEC 61672-3 Ed 2.0 (2013), In-house test procedure ESG-Noise-001 against the IEC 61260:1995 requirements, In-house test procedure ESG-Noise-003 concerning IEC 60942 2003 standard. Specific tests or properties measured will be launched according to the HOKLAS’s scope of accreditation. We calibrate sound calibrators, sound measuring instruments such as sound level meters, and sound/octave band analysers of all brands. Our cost-effective calibration services strive to minimise downtime for our customers. The standard turnaround time is seven working days. Prices start from HKD2000 only. A premium five-working-day turnaround service is also available on request (subject to a surcharge).
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
In 2021, we have advancement in incorporating ESG – Environmental, Social, and Governance – with the working function sector.
The COP26 UN Climate Summit, the negotiations calling to “keep 1.5C alive”, achieves International Standard For Sustainability.
According to the GOV.UK, COP26’s effort attaining sustainable event had reached the ISO20121 international standard. The ISO20121 certificate awards the organisation that sets out the requirements to establish, maintain, and continually improve an event sustainability management system.
COP26 President Alok Sharma told: “Sustainability was at the core of COP26, and I am proud that the UK has added yet another impressive standard of environmental compliance to the event with the ISO2021 certification. To build on our work with ISO20121, COP26 will also be a carbon-neutral event and become the first COP to have achieved PAS2060 validation on carbon neutrality. This will make good on our priority to reduce and avoid emissions at the highest level.”
How did COP26 demonstrate that they minimise potential adverse environmental impacts on communities and the local economy and maximise the positive effects?
1) Prioritising low carbon alternative energy sources such as electric and low emission vehicles, solar energy for temporary traffic lights and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in generators instead of diesel. 2) Prioritising sustainability by including explicit requirements in our supplier procurements and with partners. 3) Encouraging delegates to use active travel such as walking and cycling or public transport where possible. 4) Catering prioritises locally sourced, healthy, and in-season food items to minimise mileage for transportation and support local business. 5) Working with our hygiene partners, we supplied PPE that was sustainable, washable, and included filters to follow local COVID regulations and deliver a safe COP26. 6) Repurposing the furniture, which Ikea UK provided to furnish the conference, will involve working closely with Glasgow City Council to ensure the furniture is given a second life at charity organisations and local community projects across the city. Other legacy examples include distributing the conference carpets in the temporary structures to low-income families, sending MDF sheets and cotton roof panels from the Hydro installations to wood recycling and men’s shed projects in the city and turning the hundreds of metres of black-backed fabric graphics into bags, pencil cases, laptop bags, and boxes. 7) Employing local people for specific event roles. 8) Prioritising leaving a legacy in the events industry by hosting industry-wide workshops on improving standards and best practice for future events.
Leaving a positive legacy is one of the COP26 seven Sustainability Governing Principles. Practising the green event reflects the organisation culture with real action. Imagine (or you have probably seen it) you seeing the claimed green event with plastic bottle water provided for the event guests. Unquestionably, you would doubt how “green” the organisational culture is at the first glimpse.
It is also seen in real-world cases – the 2015 VW diesel emission scandal, the 2018 Starbucks’ “nitro lid” containing more plastic material than the previous lid and straw combined, and deceptive labelling and labour practices cases in the cocoa and chocolate industry. Caroline Sapriel, the founder of the global consultancy, once said: “A number of high profile cases related to false sustainability claims calls into question whether organisations are making genuine commitments.” It is always the matter of the cultural root of the governance towards sustainability.
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
Let’s talk about it. You are running a business. In a disaster triggered by climate change, your staff may not be able to go to work for alarming weather warnings. A storm may ruin your office building. The climate event is disruptive enough to cease the productivity.
There is a will; there’s a way. Before acting, stop and think about what you need. Do you have a figure about how likely your business will be impacted? What about the model for your future investment in the climate change era, which seems unlikely to get well soon? We are almost getting there – what you need is the climate-related financial numbers for your decision making.
The Financial Stability Board has created the TCFD (the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) to support the idea of transparency in climate-related financial reporting. Numbers of recommendations are extracted here from the TCFD report for you to realise the objectives and guidelines.
First, Governance – to disclose the organization’s governance around climate-related risks and opportunities.
Secondly, Strategy – to disclose the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on the organization’s businesses, strategy, and financial planning where such information is material.
Risk management – to disclose how the organization identifies, assesses, and manages climate-related risks.
Metrics and targets – to disclose the metrics and targets used to assess and manage relevant climate-related risks and opportunities where such information is material.
The four core elements of recommendations are based on the principles for effective disclosure.
Principles for effective disclosures: 1) represent relevant information, 2) be specific and complete, 3) be clear, balanced, and understandable, 4) be consistent over time, 5) be comparable among companies within a sector industry or a portfolio, 6) be reliable, verifiable, and objective, and 7) be provided on a timely basis
It may be hard for you to imagine what will happen to your business in a catastrophe. Scenario analysis is recommended for you to consider the future impact.
As suggested by TCFD, the scenario analysis may not give you an accurate impact result; it still leads you to think about your business’s worst-case. Sustainable development is all about the environment and human development, what makes your business to be sustainable.
The TFCD recommendations are boundlessly applicable across various industries and countries. It is time to think forward and act on it.
By: ANewR Consulting Limited, a digital environmental consultant headquartered in Hong Kong since 2008. Our expertise has grown into the context of air and water qualities, noise, green building, waste management, and remediation. With extensive know-how in environmental planning and assessment, feasibility study and policy review, ecological design, monitoring, and audit (EM&A), ANewR has matured to be a leading management consultancy. Standing in the digital transformation reign, ANewR has participated in various environmental digital projects – interactive 3D visualisation, immersive automation virtual environment, Virtual reality, automation system, and monitoring platforms. (Website: https://anewr.com, LinkedIn: ANewR Consulting Group, Twitter: ANewR – Everyday Newer,YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpvmxnR9hbNxytSfBdfV8Q/videos)
深明顧問有限公司 Environmental & Tech Consultants 