Greenhouse gas emission management methods

Abstract

To provide a method of enabling efficient greenhouse gas emissions management, including computation of greenhouse gas emissions by a business operator.SOLUTION: A greenhouse gas emissions management method involves causing a control unit of a management terminal to refer to information on a credit activity and greenhouse gas emissions of a business operator, predict a shortage in the credit activity, transmit an alert on the shortage of the credit activity, and recommend purchasing of a credit to offset the shortage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing greenhouse gas emissions.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding the greenhouse gas emissions of businesses associated with the use of fuels, electricity, etc., a reporting system targeting SCOPE1 emissions (direct emissions of the company itself) and SCOPE2 emissions (indirect emissions of the company itself) has become widespread, and progress has been made in the calculation and reduction efforts of emissions in SCOPE1 and SCOPE2.

[0003] In Non-Patent Document 1, with the aim of further reducing greenhouse gas emissions by businesses, as emissions other than SCOPE1 and SCOPE2, proposals have been made regarding the calculation of SCOPE3 emissions, that is, the emissions of the supply chain (the entire series of processes such as raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, waste disposal, etc.) of other related businesses, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, while the technology disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 provides information on methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions related to SCOPE 3, businesses, especially corporations and local governments, spend a great deal of time and effort collecting and inputting vast amounts of data for emission calculations, calculating emissions, and managing the calculation results. In particular, in the field of GHG emission management, the scope of emissions subject to calculation is expanding, the data that forms the basis for emission calculations varies widely for each SCOPE, and data management methods differ from business to business, all of which have hindered the improvement of operational efficiency through the introduction of advanced technologies.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for efficiently managing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the workload involved in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions by businesses, in the field of GHG emission management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method for managing greenhouse gas emissions according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprising: receiving an allocation request for credits, including information on the activity level of credits, from a business terminal; determining whether the allocation request is an excessive allocation request for the emissions based on the received activity level information and information on greenhouse gas emissions stored in a storage unit; and, if the determination is that the allocation request is an excessive allocation request for the emissions, sending an alert to the business terminal indicating that the allocation request is excessive. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for efficiently enabling businesses to manage and calculate greenhouse gas emissions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating a greenhouse gas emission management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of the management terminals that make up the greenhouse gas emissions management system. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the business terminals that make up the greenhouse gas emissions management system. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates the details of the business operator data according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the details of invoice information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates an example of transaction information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates another example of transaction information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of the greenhouse gas emission calculation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of a process for predicting the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of transaction processing for greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of a credit recommendation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The greenhouse gas emission management system according to the embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as the "system") has the following configuration. [Item 1] A method for managing greenhouse gas emissions, The control unit of the management terminal is Referencing information on the activity level of credits and greenhouse gas emissions of the operators, we predict a shortage in the said activity level of credits. Send an alert for the insufficient credit activity volume, A method for recommending the purchase of credits to offset the shortage. [Item 2] The control unit transmits the alert to the operator terminal of the operator via a chat interface. The management method according to Item 1. [Item 3] The control unit transmits the alert on a screen that displays the actual greenhouse gas emissions and reduction targets and is displayed on the operator terminal. The management method according to Item 1. [Item 4] The control unit recommends information on credits to offset the shortage. The management method according to Item 1. [Item 5] The control unit guides the operator to a screen where the credits selected for purchase by the operator can be purchased. The management method according to Item 1.

[0011] <The First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a greenhouse gas emissions management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, in the emissions management system 1 in the present embodiment, the administrator terminal 100 and a plurality of operator terminals 200A and 200B are interconnected via a communication network NW.

[0014] For example, the management terminal 100 receives basic information regarding the operator and input information (for example, image data of invoice information) for calculating the greenhouse gas (for example, CO2) emissions volume from the operator terminals 200A and 200B.

[0015] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 analyzes the received invoice information image data using machine learning, extracts the necessary items of the invoice information contained in the image data, and calculates the greenhouse gas emissions. The management terminal 100 also analyzes the calculated changes in greenhouse gas emissions over time (e.g., increase or decrease) using machine learning and predicts the cause of the changes.

[0016] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 has a wallet and connects to the public blockchain network NW. Based on the greenhouse gas emission information for each predetermined period, the management terminal 100 generates a single hash value using SHA256 or another hash function and records it on the blockchain network as transaction information. On the blockchain network, a block is generated based on the transaction information, the hash value recorded in the previous block, and the nonce value mined by the node, and is recorded following the previous block, thus forming the blockchain. Here, the hash generation and / or recording of transaction information to the blockchain can also be performed via another terminal instead of the management terminal 100. In this case, the management terminal 100 transmits the greenhouse gas emission calculated in the matching process to the other terminal. Furthermore, the management terminal 100 can record the greenhouse gas emission information as a smart contract on the blockchain network. By using smart contracts, based on the emission information, contracts regarding emission trading with other businesses can be automatically generated, approved, and executed without the need for a third party. Furthermore, smart contracts enable each service provider to access transaction information without going through the management terminal, improving service convenience and reducing operational costs. In addition, the management terminal 100 connects to a large-scale language model (LLM, e.g., GPT) 300 via the network, receiving predetermined question sentences from other terminals via an API (Application Programming Interface), analyzing the question sentences, and generating answer sentences.

[0017] Here, as mentioned above, in a public blockchain, transaction approval is performed not by a specific administrator but by an unspecified number of nodes and miners. Therefore, compared to a private blockchain, it can guarantee higher data immutability and fault tolerance, thus ensuring the security of transactions. For this reason, in this embodiment, a public blockchain is preferable as the destination for recording electricity transactions. Representative public blockchains include Bitcoin and Ethereum, but Ethereum, for example, has higher immutability and reliability among public blockchains.

[0018] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 can associate information regarding greenhouse gas emissions with identifiers and record it on the blockchain network as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is, for example, a token issued under the "ERC721" standard of Ethereum, a blockchain network platform, and is a unit of data recorded on the blockchain network, possessing the characteristic of being non-fungible. Since NFTs are recorded on the blockchain along with smart contracts and are traceable, they can prove transaction information including details and history of business information that manages greenhouse gas emissions.

[0019] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the management terminals that make up the emissions management system.

[0020] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with external terminals via a network NW, and communication is performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

[0021] The memory unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 130, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The memory unit 120 also has a business data storage unit 121 for storing various data related to the business operator, and an AI model storage unit 122 for storing learning data and a learning model that the AI ​​(artificial intelligence) has learned from the learning data. A database (not shown) containing various data may be built outside of the memory unit 120 or the management terminal 100.

[0022] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the management terminal 100 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The functions of the control unit 130 include an information receiving unit 131 that receives information from external terminals such as the business terminal 200, an image analysis unit 132 that analyzes image data such as invoice information received from the business terminal and calculates greenhouse gas emissions, a cause analysis unit 133 that analyzes the image data and analyzes the causes of time-series changes in greenhouse gas emissions calculated based on the information contained in the extracted invoice information, a transaction processing unit 134 that aggregates information on greenhouse gas emissions for a predetermined period, generates a hash value, and records it as transaction information on the blockchain network, and a report generation unit 135 that generates and transmits report data to the business operator at predetermined intervals to output greenhouse gas emissions and the results of the cause analysis of changes in emissions.

[0023] Although not shown in the figures, the control unit 130 also includes an image generation unit that generates screen information to be displayed via the user interface of an external terminal such as the operator terminal 200. For example, using image and text data stored in the storage unit 120 as source material, it generates information to be displayed on the user interface by arranging various images and text in predetermined areas of the user interface according to predetermined layout rules. Processing related to the image generation unit can also be performed by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0024] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 also has a wallet (not shown) necessary for recording transaction information to the blockchain network. This wallet may also be located outside the management terminal 100.

[0025] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the business terminals that make up the emissions management system.

[0026] The carrier terminal 200 comprises a communication unit 210, a display and operation unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a control unit 240.

[0027] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the management terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0028] The display operation unit 220 is a user interface used by the operator to input instructions and display text, images, etc., in accordance with the input data from the control unit 240. If the operator terminal 200 is a personal computer, it consists of a display and a keyboard or mouse, and if the operator terminal 200 is a smartphone or tablet, it consists of a touch panel, etc. This display operation unit 220 is activated by a control program stored in the storage unit 230 and executed by the operator terminal 200, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0029] The memory unit 230 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 240, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM, ROM, etc. The memory unit 230 also temporarily stores the contents of communications with the management terminal 100.

[0030] The control unit 240 controls the overall operation of the operator terminal 200 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 230, and is composed of a CPU, GPU, and the like.

[0031] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the details of the business operator data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The business operator data 1000 shown in Figure 4 stores various data related to the business operator, obtained from the business operator via the business operator terminal 200. In Figure 4, for the sake of explanation, an example of one business operator (a business operator identified by business operator ID "10001") is shown, but information on multiple business operators can be stored. Various data related to the business operator may include, for example, basic information of the business operator (e.g., the company name, username, business location information (e.g., address information for each business location), network name (e.g., SSID, IP address), image information (e.g., background image of the business location, images of people, etc.), industry, contact information, email address, business location name, affiliate company name, names of related businesses in the supply chain, etc.), input information (e.g., image data of invoice information, etc.), analytical information (e.g., information on invoices extracted from image data, greenhouse gas emissions, predictions of the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions, etc.), customer information (e.g., customer ID, blockchain address, etc.), and offset report information (e.g., TXID, NFTID, etc.), and activity information (information on held credits, type / raw material origin and offset amount of credits assigned to projects (products)).

[0033] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the greenhouse gas emission calculation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] First, as part of step S101, the information acquisition unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 acquires image data, including invoice information, collected by the business operator via the network NW from the business operator terminal 200. The business operator uploads invoices, receipts, slips, etc. (collectively referred to as "invoices" in this embodiment) to the management terminal 100 via the business operator terminal 200 in file formats such as PDF, Excel, and JPG (collectively referred to as "image data" in this embodiment). The image data acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 is stored as input information in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0035] Next, as part of step S102, the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 analyzes the image data acquired in the previous step using machine learning. Here, the image analysis uses a technique known as OCR, and the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 recognizes text from the image data and extracts items included in the invoice information as structured string data, using a learning model that was generated in advance by learning from image data of various types of invoices stored in the AI ​​model storage unit 122 of the memory unit 120. Here, for image analysis, it is also possible to use an image analysis engine (OCR engine, etc.) provided by a business other than the management terminal 100, which is linked via API.

[0036] Image analysis is performed, for example, by recognizing and extracting text from image data containing invoice information, as shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, invoice information can include various items contained in an invoice, such as the name of the breakdown of electricity charges, the amount for each breakdown (yen), contracted power (kW), electricity usage for each breakdown (kWh), total amount (yen), and date (year and month). In this example, an invoice breakdown for electricity charges is used as an example, but it could also be an invoice for charges related to the use of other energy, including gas and fuel, or an invoice breakdown for other items, such as a receipt for travel expenses for business trips, a receipt for employee commuting expenses, an invoice related to a transaction with a freight carrier, or an invoice related to a transaction with a waste disposal company. The image analysis unit 132 can extract monetary information, activity level information, etc., contained in the invoice information as text by analyzing the image data of this invoice information. The extracted invoice information is stored as analysis information in the business data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. In this way, machine learning-based image analysis allows businesses to acquire a vast amount of necessary information for calculating greenhouse gas emissions as image data without having to manually input invoice information. Furthermore, highly accurate image recognition enables the precise extraction of information necessary for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of greenhouse gas emission calculations.

[0037] Next, in step S103, the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 calculates greenhouse gas emissions based on the invoice information extracted from the image data. Here, greenhouse gas emissions are classified into SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3. SCOPE1 is direct emissions of greenhouse gases by the business operator itself (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion and industrial processes), SCOPE2 is indirect emissions associated with the use of electricity, heat, gas, etc. supplied to the business operator by other companies, and SCOPE3 is the calculation standard for emissions across an organization's entire supply chain issued by the GHG Protocol, and refers to emissions from the business operator's supply chain (the entire flow including raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, disposal, etc.). SCOPE3 is further classified into 15 categories: (1) Products / Services Purchased, (2) Capital Goods, (3) Fuel and Energy-Related Activities Not Included in SCOPE1 and SCOPE2, (4) Transportation and Distribution (Upstream), (5) Business Waste, (6) Business Travel, (7) Employee Commuting, (8) Leased Assets (Upstream), (9) Transportation and Distribution (Downstream), (10) Processing of Products Sold, (11) Use of Products Sold, (12) Disposal of Products Sold, (13) Leased Assets (Downstream), (14) Franchises, and (15) Investments. Here, greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), but in this embodiment, CO2 will be used as an example.

[0038] Furthermore, greenhouse gas emissions are calculated by defining activity levels as the amount of electricity used by a business operator, the amount of goods transported, the amount of waste processed, and the value of various transactions, and multiplying these activity levels by emission intensity, which is the amount of CO2 emissions per 1 kWh of electricity used, the amount of CO2 emissions per ton of goods transported, and the amount of CO2 emissions per ton of waste incinerated. Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated separately for SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3 (SCOPE3 is further divided into 15 categories), and the total emissions are calculated as supply chain emissions.

[0039] In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 132 extracts relevant invoice information separately for SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3 (and further for SCOPE3, by category), and calculates emissions based on the above calculation method, for example, based on the amount of electricity used in kWh from the invoice information. The calculated emissions are stored as analysis information in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0040] Next, as part of the process in step S104, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 generates a visualized report showing the breakdown of emissions over time, categorized by SCOPE (and further by category for SCOPE 3), based on the calculated emissions information.

[0041] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for predicting the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] First, as part of step S201, the cause analysis unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the information on the operator's greenhouse gas emissions calculated in step S103 of Figure 8. Here, the greenhouse gas emissions refer to emissions by SCOPE (and further by category for SCOPE 3). The cause analysis unit 133 can also check changes (increases or decreases) in emissions by referring to past emission data of the same operator. As described above, the emissions are stored as analysis information in the operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0043] Next, as part of step S202, the cause analysis unit 133 analyzes and predicts the causes of changes in emissions using machine learning based on the emission information referenced above. Here, in the cause analysis, the cause analysis unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 predicts the causes of changes in emissions for each SCOPE (and further for each category in the case of SCOPE 3) using the emission information referenced above, factors that affect changes (increases and decreases) in emissions, and a learning model that was generated by learning data on factors that affect changes (increases and decreases) in emissions stored in the AI ​​model storage unit 122 of the memory unit 120 in advance.

[0044] Here, factors that influence changes (increases or decreases) in emissions include, for example, weather, temperature, product demand and / or factory operations, store or factory business hours or operating hours, changes in equipment or facilities, software measures, energy-saving activities, fuel switching, energy menu changes, changes in business or commuting volume, and the amount of electricity generated by private power generation. Each of these factors affects the emissions of one of the SCOPEs. For example, the weather factor affects precipitation, wind speed, sunshine hours, and temperature. Precipitation affects small-scale hydroelectric power generation, wind speed affects wind power generation, sunshine hours affect solar power generation, and temperature affects air conditioning. Furthermore, electricity generation affects private power generation, which affects CO2 emissions from electricity, thereby influencing changes in SCOPE2 emissions. Meanwhile, air conditioning affects gas consumption, which affects CO2 emissions from gas combustion, thereby influencing changes in SCOPE1 emissions. In addition, energy-saving activities, factory operations due to product demand, and business hours affect electricity consumption and thus affect SCOPE2. Furthermore, EMS, replacement of refrigeration equipment, introduction of energy-saving equipment, and vehicle usage also affect electricity usage and thus influence SCOPE2. In addition, vehicle usage, fuel efficiency, boiler usage, and boiler efficiency affect fuel usage, which in turn affect CO2 emissions from fuel and thus influence SCOPE1.

[0045] Furthermore, the number of products sold influences categories 1, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of SCOPE3, while capital investment influences category 2, renewable energy ratio and procured energy volume influence category 3, the number of deliveries and changes in delivery routes influence categories 4 and 9, product loss rate influences category 5, business travelers and office workers influence category 6, commuters and office employees influence category 7, power consumption influences category 8, processing reduction through product improvements influences category 10, improvements to energy-saving products influence category 11, increased recycling rates influence category 12, tenant office electricity influences category 13, franchise emissions influence category 14, and investment destination emissions influence category 15.

[0046] In this way, by using machine learning to learn which factors affect which SCOPE or category, and by obtaining emission information and information on each factor from businesses, it is possible to predict the causes of changes in emissions. Here, by performing emission cause prediction using machine learning, it is possible to efficiently and accurately predict the factors that affect changes in greenhouse gas emissions for each business and each SCOPE.

[0047] Next, as part of the processing in step S203, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 generates a visualized report on the causes of changes in emissions, categorized by SCOPE (and further categorized for SCOPE 3), based on the information on the predicted causes of changes in emissions that has been analyzed above.

[0048] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of transaction processing for greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] First, as part of step S301, the transaction processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the business operator data stored in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. The business operator data referred to here includes business operator analysis information (greenhouse gas emissions for each SCOPE), etc.

[0050] Next, as part of step S302, the transaction processing unit 134 generates a hash value based on the business data referenced in step S301. That is, the transaction processing unit 134 generates a hash value for one row using a hash function for greenhouse gas emissions over a predetermined period, and records the hash value as transaction information on the public blockchain. On the blockchain network, this block is generated based on the transaction information, the hash value recorded in the previous block, and the nonce value mined by the node, and is recorded following the previous block, thus forming the blockchain. In this example, in order to reduce the cost of blockchain recording, the data is recorded on a Layer 2 (e.g., a sidechain) that is different from the main blockchain (so-called Layer 1).

[0051] Furthermore, the transaction processing unit 134 can assign and manage NFTIDs in conjunction with the blockchain record of the business operator's greenhouse gas emissions. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the business operator data 1000 can be assigned the business operator's customer ID as customer information, store the blockchain address to be referenced, and assign NFTIDs and TXIDs as offset report information.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, on the blockchain network, each NFTID is associated with a blockchain address, and the NFTID and customer ID are managed on the management terminal 100. For example, information on greenhouse gas emissions for a business corresponding to customer ID "2" can be accessed by referring to the blockchain address for each NFTID, such as NFTID "13" and "14," and as shown in Figure 7, detailed emission information can be retrieved. Figure 7 shows information on an offset report associated with NFTID "14," where a TXID is assigned, and the offset report includes CO2 emissions by SCOPE, the target year and month, and the report issuance date. In addition to the CO2 emissions for the target year and month in this example, it is also possible to create NFTs of CO2 emissions for the most recent year, reduced CO2 emissions, and offset CO2 emissions. By managing CO2 emissions as NFTs in this way, businesses can trade NFT certificates while ensuring non-tampering and transaction reliability, and can also provide proof of emissions to third parties.

[0053] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for recommending credit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] First, as part of step S401, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the information regarding the amount of credit activity held by the business and the information regarding greenhouse gas emissions in the business data 1000 of the business data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120, and predicts whether the amount of credit activity will be insufficient relative to greenhouse gas emissions based on the comparison results of this information. This credit shortage prediction process may be triggered by several events. For example, the credit shortage prediction process may be executed when a business representative sends a request to the management terminal 100 via the business terminal 200 to refer to carbon offsets, or when a business representative sends a request to the management terminal 100 via the business terminal 200 to compare greenhouse gas reduction targets with greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the carbon credit shortage prediction may be executed when a business representative asks a question or has a conversation about carbon offsets via the chat interface of the business terminal 200, or when a request for information about carbon offsets is sent to the management terminal 100. For example, when a business manager is performing a simulation on the business terminal 200 based on greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and actual emission results, they can also make a graded judgment on the degree of credit shortage risk, such as "high / medium / low". Furthermore, credit shortage forecasts can be performed for each business's project (product). In addition, this process can be performed by the management terminal 100 via the LLM 300, which calculates whether and / or how much of a credit shortage will occur based on the business's energy usage, and can also predict seasonal trends (monthly increases and decreases, such as during peak seasons) by referring to sales performance data and other information stored in the business data 2000.

[0055] Next, as part of step S402, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100, when it predicts in the S401 process that the operator's carbon credits are insufficient, sends an alert (notification) to the operator terminal 200 indicating the shortage (and the amount of activity). At this point, the report generation unit 135 can also send the alert to the operator terminal 200 via the chat interface. In this case, as described above, if the LLM 300 predicts a credit shortage, it can also send the alert via the LLM 300. Furthermore, as described above, when a business person requests to compare greenhouse gas reduction targets with greenhouse gas emissions and is referring to the screen comparing reduction targets and emissions, an alert may be displayed on that screen.

[0056] Next, as part of step S403, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 transmits information about credits that should be purchased to offset greenhouse gas emissions to the business terminal 200. Previously, it was difficult for businesses to determine which credits to purchase for offsetting due to differences in systems (for example, "non-fossil fuel certificates, J-credits" usable under the Energy Conservation Act, and other certification systems such as J-Blue Credits), usage periods, and expiration dates. Therefore, in this example, LLM300 can determine and recommend information about credits that businesses should purchase by referring to business data 1000 and an external credit information database. Furthermore, if a simulation comparing a business's emission reduction target with actual emissions indicates a potential shortfall (risk of failing to achieve the reduction target), the system can perform simulations and assess the risk level in stages (e.g., "high / medium / low") to determine and recommend the purchase quantity. For example, if the risk is "high," the purchase quantity can be calculated based on the maximum expected shortage, derived from past trends or those of comparable companies. If the risk is "low," the purchase quantity can be calculated based on the minimum expected shortage, derived from past trends or those of comparable companies. If the risk is "medium," the purchase quantity can be calculated as an intermediate or average value between the "high" and "low" cases. Furthermore, these risk levels can also be determined based on conversations between the business and LLM300 via a chat interface.

[0057] Next, as part of step S404, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100, in response to the presentation of information regarding credits to be purchased, guides the business operator terminal 200 to access a website for purchasing those credits when the business operator selects information regarding the credits they wish to purchase via the business operator terminal 200 and submits a purchase request to the management terminal 100. Specifically, when the business operator selects the credits they wish to purchase from the various credit information displayed on the business operator terminal 200, the business operator terminal 200 is redirected to access the purchase screen for those credits, and the business operator can proceed with the purchase process on that purchase screen.

[0058] In summary, while it has been difficult for business users to determine which credits to purchase and in what quantities due to the difficulty of predicting shortages and the wide variety of credit types, applying this example makes it easier and more efficient to manage carbon offsets.

[0059] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 100 Management terminals 200 carrier terminals

Claims

1. A method for managing greenhouse gas emissions, The control unit of the management terminal is Referencing information on the activity level of the business operator's credits and information on greenhouse gas emissions, compare the business operator's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets with its actual greenhouse gas emission levels, and predict the shortfall in the activity level of the credits. Send an alert if the activity level of the aforementioned credits is insufficient. The degree of risk of insufficient activity in the aforementioned credits is determined, A method of recommending the purchase of credits to offset the deficit, depending on the degree of risk.

2. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits the alert to the operator's terminal via a chat interface.

3. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits the alert on a screen displayed on the operator's terminal that references the actual greenhouse gas emissions and reduction targets.

4. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recommends credit information to offset the deficit.

5. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit guides the business operator to a screen where the credits selected for purchase can be purchased.

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