Fugitive Emissions
Summary
Fugitive emissions are Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that escape unintentionally or through deliberate but unmetered venting.
Fugitive emissions come from equipment, infrastructure, or industrial processes. Unlike combustion emissions, they leak from the systems used to extract, store, or transport fuel, rather than from burning it.
Fugitive emissions are classified as Scope 1 emissions, which come directly from sources owned by the reporting organisation. Most major reporting frameworks, including GHG Protocol, require them to be disclosed where material, whether they result from an accident or routine operations.
Their impact is disproportionate to their volume. For example, Methane, the most common fugitive emission, has a global warming potential roughly 80 times more than that of CO₂ over 20 years. Even a modest leak can have a material effect on reported emissions.
In practice, fugitive emissions most commonly arise from oil and gas extraction, refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and industrial pipelines.
Measurement is one of the harder aspects of Scope 1 reporting. Fugitive emissions are largely estimated rather than directly metered, using emission factors, equipment counts, or activity-based models.
Any business with refrigeration, gas-fired systems, or industrial equipment has fugitive emissions to account for in their Scope 1 inventory.
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