Der Begriff "Embodied carbon" bezieht sich auf die Menge an Kohlenstoffemissionen, die mit der Herstellung, dem Transport und der Entsorgung eines Produkts verbunden sind. Es umfasst alle Treibhausgasemissionen, die während des gesamten Lebenszyklus eines Produkts entstehen, einschließlich der Gewinnung und Verarbeitung von Rohstoffen, der Produktion, des Transports, der Verwendung und der Entsorgung.
When software runs on a device, a fraction of the total embodied emissions of the device is allocated to the software. This is the value of M that needs to be calculated in the SCI equation.
This fraction consists of both a time- and resource-share. The length of time that the software runs on the device determines its time-share. The percentage of the device reserved just for that application during the time-share determines that application's resource-share.
To calculate the time-share, amortize the total embodied carbon over the expected life span of the device and then extrapolate based on the time reserved for the usage. For example, if the device’s embodied carbon was 1000kg with an expected lifespan of four years and it was reserved for use for one hour, the time-share embodied emissions would be 1000 * 1/(4_365_24) or around 28g of the total.