The 2024 Carbon Footprint Report is NRC’s fourth annual report. It shares the results of our 2024 carbon footprint measurement and progress against our 2019 baseline and emissions reduction goals. The data enables us to monitor the effectiveness of carbon reduction initiatives and identify areas that may require targeted interventions to achieve these goals.
Emissions were calculated across 13 categories, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, encompassing all aspects of NRC’s activities, from fuels used for generators and our fleet, to business travel and procured goods.
The main findings of the 2024 report are as follows:
- NRC’s total carbon footprint for 2024 is 155,613 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
- Carbon emissions have increased by 36.5 per cent since our 2019 baseline. This reflects growth in the size of the organisation and our humanitarian response activities during that time.
- Our core emissions per staff member from travel, vehicles and energy have decreased by 31 per cent compared to our 2019 baseline. This shows that we are becoming more carbon-efficient in our operations.
- Overall emissions per staff member have decreased by 0.4 per cent since 2019. Although this is only a small reduction, it reflects a shift in the type of programming we provide rather than a lack of progress towards greater carbon efficiency.
- Almost every category of carbon emissions except financial assistance decreased in 2024. However, more of our assistance than ever before takes the form of cash and vouchers. Although financial assistance is not a carbon-intensive activity in itself, we also assess the estimated emissions from the goods and services we expect participants to buy with the cash and vouchers we provide.
- Emissions from our programme activities vary by the type and location of needs which we are responding to each year, so this volatility is to be expected and is not a cause for concern.
In 2025 we are focusing on continuing to reduce energy emissions by replacing diesel generators with solar power systems in 15 of our programme countries. We are implementing environmental risk screening in programmes worldwide. Through NORCAP, our global provider of humanitarian, development and peacebuilding expertise, we are supporting the greening of the wider humanitarian sector.
