17 C.F.R. § 229.1500

Current through September 30, 2024

Section 229.1500 - (Item 1500) Definitions

As used in this subpart, these terms have the following meanings:

Carbon offsets represents an emissions reduction, removal, or avoidance of greenhouse gases ("GHG") in a manner calculated and traced for the purpose of offsetting an entity's GHG emissions.

Climate-related risks means the actual or potential negative impacts of climate-related conditions and events on a registrant's business, results of operations, or financial condition. Climate-related risks include the following:

(1)Physical risks include both acute risks and chronic risks to the registrant's business operations.

(2)Acute risks are event-driven and may relate to shorter term severe weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires, among other events.

(3)Chronic risks relate to longer term weather patterns, such as sustained higher temperatures, sea level rise, and drought, as well as related effects such as decreased arability of farmland, decreased habitability of land, and decreased availability of fresh water.

(4)Transition risks are the actual or potential negative impacts on a registrant's business, results of operations, or financial condition attributable to regulatory, technological, and market changes to address the mitigation of, or adaptation to, climate-related risks, including such non-exclusive examples as increased costs attributable to changes in law or policy, reduced market demand for carbon-intensive products leading to decreased prices or profits for such products, the devaluation or abandonment of assets, risk of legal liability and litigation defense costs, competitive pressures associated with the adoption of new technologies, and reputational impacts (including those stemming from a registrant's customers or business counterparties) that might trigger changes to market behavior, consumer preferences or behavior, and registrant behavior.

Carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2e means the common unit of measurement to indicate the global warming potential ("GWP") of each greenhouse gas, expressed in terms of the GWP of one unit of carbon dioxide.

Emission factor means a multiplication factor allowing actual GHG emissions to be calculated from available activity data or, if no activity data are available, economic data, to derive absolute GHG emissions. Examples of activity data include kilowatt-hours of electricity used, quantity of fuel used, output of a process, hours of operation of equipment, distance travelled, and floor area of a building.

GHG or Greenhouse gases means carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂ O), nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆).

GHG emissions means direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases expressed in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ e), of which:

(1) Direct emissions are GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by a registrant.

(2) Indirect emissions are GHG emissions that result from the activities of the registrant but occur at sources not owned or controlled by the registrant.

Internal carbon price means an estimated cost of carbon emissions used internally within an organization.

Operational boundaries means the boundaries that determine the direct and indirect emissions associated with the business operations owned or controlled by a registrant.

Organizational boundaries means the boundaries that determine the operations owned or controlled by a registrant for the purpose of calculating its GHG emissions.

Renewable energy credit or certificate or REC means a credit or certificate representing each megawatt-hour (1 MWh or 1,000 kilowatt-hours) of renewable electricity generated and delivered to a power grid.

Scenario analysis means a process for identifying and assessing a potential range of outcomes of various possible future climate scenarios, and how climate-related risks may impact a registrant's business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition over time.

Scope 1 emissions are direct GHG emissions from operations that are owned or controlled by a registrant.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, or cooling that is consumed by operations owned or controlled by a registrant.

Transition plan means a registrant's strategy and implementation plan to reduce climate-related risks, which may include a plan to reduce its GHG emissions in line with its own commitments or commitments of jurisdictions within which it has significant operations.

17 C.F.R. §229.1500

89 FR 21914, 5/28/2024