Much ink has been spilt in recent years over the cost of carbon emissions and a great deal of time and effort, particularly in the built environment, has been devoted to putting those costs into accurate numbers. But, if we are going to think about the carbon issue in such pecuniary terms, then why not make it the responsibility of those in the sector with the most experience of measuring, predicting and keeping a handle on costs?

That at least is the idea behind a new tool developed by global consultancy Turner & Townsend. The firm wants to put the assessment of carbon emissions in the hands of cost consultants and hopes its new Embodied Carbon Calculator, a bespoke software tool which tracks the carbon footprint of projects from design to completion, will be the first step to achieving that.