David Heitz

Navigating climate change risks is increasingly critical for businesses worldwide. These include two distinct kinds of risk: those associated with transitioning to a lower-carbon economy and the physical risks of a changing climate. The risks involved with transitioning to a lower-carbon economy include policy and legal, technology, and market and reputational risks associated with reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and decarbonizing in general. Transition risks to industrial clients are often closely associated with how air quality is managed at facilities and how rapidly changing regulations affect the work our clients do. They must navigate issues including the following: measuring the GHGs they generate; choosing the best technologies for detection, estimating, accounting, and reporting; and identifying and acting upon opportunities to reduce emissions. Geosyntec’s air practitioners stay up to date on the evolving climate change and GHG policies in order to advise on low-carbon strategies to minimize these risks. Low-carbon strategies include considering opportunities for process improvements in energy efficiency, manufacturing processes changes, product or feedstock substitution, renewable energy, use of low-carbon fuels, carbon capture and storage, and carbon sequestration. Often, our solutions involve innovative technologies, which can also include consulting related to how current or future policy might accommodate innovation. We help clients estimate the costs, benefits, and economic and other impacts of implementing carbon reduction technologies and practices. One of the fundamental aspects of a GHG strategy is quantifying emissions with the proper level of accuracy and including the proper boundaries for assessing the extent of a client’s Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions. Geosyntec’s experts develop emission inventories for many reporting and strategic planning purposes that include direct Scope 1 source or facility emissions, indirect Scope 2 emissions from energy use, and Scope 3 emissions within the value chain. These inventories can take the form of submittals to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the mandatory reporting rule (MRR) or other jurisdictions, serve as underpinning for corporate reports relying on the GHG protocol, or provide clients with a basic carbon footprint for sustainability planning. Our air practitioners apply multiple protocols for data collection, accuracy, and reporting from federal and state programs, international and industry trade organizations, and client-specific guidelines. We advise clients as they develop these protocols. Additionally, we minimize risk for our clients by conducting informal audits of their GHG inventories to prepare for third-party verification in states like California and Washington that require mandatory GHG inventory verification. We also develop GHG monitoring plans and help detect and reduce methane leaks. Geosyntec has worked for years addressing environmental challenges at landfills, and we maintain a landfill gas management practice. We help with planning, design, permitting, construction, and operation of landfill gas collection and control systems, as well as methane migration mitigation in the subsurface. Additionally, we assess GHG impacts of proposed new development or planned modifications of capital projects during project planning, permitting, and licensing. Regarding physical risks, Geosyntec's cross-functional team of practitioners conduct climate change studies and climate impact evaluations to help clients understand how changes in the weather, like heat waves and incidents of climate cooling or air stagnation, can affect their facilities, operations, and bottom line. Usually, these studies examine temperature and precipitation trends influenced by climate change, and our team can apply modeling tools to help identify strategies for mitigating climate change effects.