AP1: Air Pollution

The intent of this indicator is to assess the entity’s measurement of air pollution emissions. Air pollution can have significant impacts on human health and the environment. Additionally, air pollutants can also put entities at risk of regulation and maintaining a social license to operate. Significant air pollutants are ground-level ozone (O₃), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulphur oxides (SO_x), particulates and heavy metals such as lead and mercury.

Select Yes or No: If ‘Yes,’ complete the performance table and sub-questions.

Performance Tables

External Review

Select Yes or No: If selecting “Yes”, state whether the data submitted has been checked, verified, or assured (select one option; the most detailed level of scrutiny to which the data was subjected). If selecting ‘verified’ or ‘assured,’ select the standard from the dropdown menu.

The Scheme Lists page contains the complete list of accepted assurance and verification schemes.

GRESB does not require the selected standard to be specific to air pollution data. A standard initially designed to verify/assure other types of sustainability data (e.g., energy) can be selected as long as the same thoroughness and review criteria are applied to data reported in AP1.

Exceptions

Select Yes or No: GRESB is seeking to standardize the scope and boundaries of reporting to allow for more accurate benchmarking and to progressively move towards scoring of performance. If the scope of the data reported for this indicator does not exactly match the reporting scope (facilities, ancillary activities, and time period) as reported in “Entity and Reporting Characteristics” (EC3, RC3, RC4), then answer ‘No’ to this question and describe these exceptions in the “Exceptions” text box. Please note that if the entity answers 'No', then GRESB will not provide reporting-year performance data intensity values in the Benchmark Report.

Examples include:

• Temporal: toll road includes data on energy consumption from its street lighting within its boundary, but due to a data glitch, it lost this data for a two-month period during the reporting year.

• Physical: A power plant includes a switchyard facility within its reporting boundary but does not have data on water discharge for this facility.

• Operational: An airport includes the operation of mobile equipment within its reporting boundary, but not for aircraft, since these are operated by airlines.

Terminology

Air pollution

Air pollutants are particles and gases released into the atmosphere that may adversely affect living organisms. Additionally, some pollutants contribute to climate change or exacerbate the effects of climate change locally. Pollutants of major public health concern include ozone-depleting substances (ODS), NOx, SOx, particulate matter (PM), lead, mercury and/or other standard categories of air emissions identified in relevant regulations.

Externally checked

Applies to instances when a third party has reviewed the data in a structured and consistent process, but no official certification has been awarded.

Externally verified

Applies to instances where a third party has reviewed the reporting against an existing scheme. When this checkbox is ticked, participants must select the scheme name from the dropdown.

• Note that GRESB treats verification and assurance equally in the context of the assessment

Externally assured

Applies to instances where a third party has reviewed the data against an existing scheme. When this checkbox is ticked, participants should select the scheme name from the dropdown.

• Note that GRESB treats verification and assurance equally in the context of the assessment

Lead (Pb)

Lead emissions can result from industrial process or the use of fuel that contains lead. Exposure to lead has adverse effects on human health and ecosystems.

Mercury (Hg)

Mercury can enter the environment in elemental or inorganic forms. Burning of fossil fuels can result of emissions of mercury into the air. Mercury is harmful to humans and ecosystems.

Nitrogen oxides (NO_X)

A group of gases that are harmful to human health and the environment by contributing to smog and acid rain. They can also lead to nutrient pollution in ecosystems and cause the formation of ozone, another pollutant. NO_X are mainly released to the air via the burning of fuels.

Non-compliances

Failure to comply with covenants, environmental permits, laws and/or regulation due to the performance of air pollutant emissions or discharges to bodies of water.

Ozone (O₃)

Ground-level ozone can result in health problems and affect people with lung conditions. It can also harm vegetation growth.

Ozone-depleting substances

Also known as ODS, ozone-depleting substances are any substances that deplete ozone (O₃) in the Earth’s atmosphere. A full list of substances can be found in the Montreal Protocol. Ozone-depleting substances that have a global warming potential should also be reported in “Greenhouse gas emissions” but expressed in the tCO₂e that they are equivalent to. In “Air pollution” ozone-depleting substances should be reported in kg emitted.

Particulate matter (PM)

Particulate matter are any solid particles or small droplets in the air, such as smoke or dust. They are measured based on their diameter. PM10 are any particles with a diameter of 10 micrometers or smaller; PM2.5 are any particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller. Particulate matter can result from the burning of fuels or directly from industrial processes and/or construction. Inhalation of particulates may cause adverse health effects.

Sulfur oxides (SO_X)

A group of gases that are harmful to human health and the environment. They can contribute to acid rain and can increase particulate matter concentrations in the air. SO_X are mainly released to the air via the burning of fuels.

Data: GRESB automatically validates data in the performance tables.

Evidence: Providing evidence of external review in the form of a third-party letter or certificate is optional. Evidence will not be subject to manual validation for this indicator in 2025.

Evidence should include:

• Proof of the existence of a third-party review of the data;

• Clear indication that the reviewed data reflects the reported data;

• A description of the type of third-party review (checked, verified, or assured) and the used assurance standard (if applicable);

• Proof that the data review applies to the entity.

Validation Basics

Materiality-Based Scoring

The relevance of the 'Air pollution' issue (determined by the GRESB Materiality Assessment) defines this indicator's maximum score.

For more details, refer to the Asset Scoring Basics page or download the Asset Materiality & Scoring Tool.

Scoring of Metrics

The only scored metric for Air Pollution is Non-compliances.

For this metric, participants must complete all columns to obtain points as follows:

• 60% of the indicator score: based on the reporting of a value in Reporting-year performance

• 20% of the indicator score: based on the reporting of a target in Reporting-year target.

  • The scoring is based on whether a target was set, not on whether the target was achieved.

• 20% of the indicator score: based on the reporting of a target in Future-year target.

  • The scoring will be based on whether a target was set, not on whether the entity is on track to achieve the target.

Notes

• Participants must input a target year under "Future-year target" as well as a numeric value in the underlying scored metric to score for this metric.

• Not all scored cells/metrics are mandatory. If a scored (light green) cell is not outlined in dark green, leaving it blank will still result in a negative scoring impact. This applies to the following metrics: Non-Compliances, Reporting-Year Target, and Future-Year Target.

• Reporting of external data review and exceptions is not scored.

Scoring Basics

Eurostat - Environment GlossaryMontreal ProtocolUS EPA - Criteria Air Pollutants

The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures Recommendations (TNFD) version 1.0 September 2023 – Table 6. TNFD core global disclosure indicators and metrics for nature-related dependencies and impacts

Alignment with External Frameworks

GRI Standards 2016 - 305-7: Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and other significant air emissions

Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment