CARBON FOOTPRINT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Ogljični odtis je v svetu vse bolj razširjen in tudi pri nas že uporabljen izračun, ki ga uporabljajo tako podjetja, organizacije, vladne in javne ustanove. Zaradi vedno večjega zavedanja vseh negativnih posledic, ki jih toplogredni plini puščajo za sabo, pa ogljični odtis pridobiva tudi na pomembnosti. Za izračun le-tega so predpisani standardi, ki se uporabljajo, sekundarne baze podatkov, načini poročanja izračunov in komuniciranja z javnostjo. Zavedati se moramo tudi pomanjkljivosti, ki jih ogljični odtis nosi s sabo, in sicer, da ta izračun upošteva le delček negativnih vplivov emisij na okolje. V diplomskem delu sem opredelila zahteve nizkoogljične družbe in gospodarstva, opisala vire nastajanja toplogrednih plinov ter njihov vpliv na okolje, opisala metodologijo določevanja ogljičnega odtisa, ugotovila pomen le-tega za podjetja in druge organizacije, primerjala ogljična odtisa dveh bank in ugotovila zakaj prihaja do razlik med njima. S tem sem potrdila hipoteze, da je ogljični odtis odvisen od velikosti finančne institucije, razširjenosti e-poslovanja banke, da je cena okoljskih dajatev, ki jo institucija plačuje odvisna od države, v kateri se nahaja, da bo ogljični odtis v prihodnje vse bolj razširjen, da imajo institucije kot so banke, največji delež izpustov toplogrednih plinov zaradi mobilnosti, ogrevanja v kurilni sezoni in razsvetljave ter da je možno tudi v bankah zmanjševati ogljični odtis z različnimi ukrepi. S primerjalno analizo Svetovne banke in Evropske investicijske banke je bila ugotovljena pomembnost točnosti uporabe podatkov pri izračunavanju ogljičnega odtisa, primerjave metod izračunavanja, interpretacije rezultatov in možni načini zmanjševanja toplogrednih plinov.The carbon footprint has become a well-established calculation used by companies and organisations as well as government and public institutions all over the world, including Slovenia. Further, due to the ever increasing awareness of all the negative effects of greenhouse gases, the carbon footprint has also been gaining in importance. The carbon footprint calculations are based on the stipulated standards, on secondary databases, on the methods of reporting of the calculations and on the communication with the public. Nevertheless, we must be aware of one drawback of carbon footprint calculation, i.e., it only presents a fragment of all negative effects carbon emissions have on the environment. In the diploma paper, I first defined the requirements of a low-carbon society and economy and described the sources of greenhouse gases together with their effects on the environment. Further, I described the methodology for the carbon footprint calculation and established its importance for companies and other organisations. The focus of my paper was on the comparison of carbon footprints of two banks and on the establishment of the reasons for the differences between them. My research confirmed the hypotheses that the carbon footprint depends on the size of a financial institution and on the scope of e-business operations of a bank, that the amount of environmental tax paid by an institution depends on the institution’s location, that the carbon footprint will gain in importance in the future and that the highest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in the institutions like banks is due to the mobility, heating during the heating season and lighting. In addition, I confirmed that institutions like banks can also reduce their carbon footprints by adopting various measures. By a comparative analysis of the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, I established the importance of the accuracy of data in the carbon footprint calculation, the importance of the comparison of different calculation methods and the interpretation of the results. I also presented possible ways of greenhouse gas reduction