Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

www.ctbto.org
HQ: Vienna, Austria
Focal Point: General Services Unit
Email:  [email protected]

The entity may not report waste data for all its personnel. Please refer to the entity's personnel chart below for more information.
All entity personnel are included in the entity's greenhouse gas emission inventory.

MISSION

CTBTO is the international organization established to ensure the build-up of a global verification regime capable of detecting nuclear explosions underground, underwater and in the atmosphere. The regime must be operational by the time the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosions, enters into force. The verification regime consists of 337 monitoring facilities supported by an International Data Centre and on-site inspection measures in the event of a suspected nuclear test.

EMISSION REDUCTION

CTBTO conducts the majority of its job interviews since 2007 via video conference, drastically reducing the need for air travel.

By participating in the common energy saving and waste management measures with other Vienna Based Organisations at the Vienna International Centre, a carbon neutral UN hub, CTBTO plays an important part in reducing emissions.

EMS AND REDUCTION EFFORTS

CTBTO extended Business Class Travel eligibility to 9 hours for direct travel and 11 hours for indirect travel since September 2019, contributing to reduced carbon footprints.

Hotel accommodation and events bookings for CTBTO’s many conferences and workshops, including the leading biannual Science and Technology international symposium, are partnered mostly with select eco-friendly institutions near headquarters to minimise travel.

CTBTO promotes carpooling wherever possible between headquarters and its newly built TeST (Technology Support and Training) training and warehouse complex at Seibersdorf (Austria) to reduce emissions. Mainly an electrical Mercedes van is used for transportation. A photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof of the Test with an e-charging point for electrical cars.  Additionally e-charging points for electrical vehicles have been installed in the headquarters. 

The organisation encourages an environmentally friendly approach to building and sustaining its leading network of International Monitoring System stations across the world that monitor for nuclear explosions; for example over half of the 51 certified Infrasound stations use solar power. Many stations are located inside national natural parks where construction and installation required specific approval from national park authorities and followed strict rules and regulations to preserve fauna and flora.  

Several stations feature other proactive measures :

IS20 (Galapagos) uses flexible hoses of wind noise reduction systems to preserve the natural landscape and minimise disturbance to endemic wildlife and fauna;  IS41 (Paraguay) uses rainwater collection systems to avoid transporting water overland for service needs.

CTBTO has constructed a new state of art facility in 2019 – the Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility (ESMF) at Seibersdorf (Austria) with design features aimed at enhancing sustainability and reduction of energy consumption from non-renewable energy sources. A large solar array can power upto 80% of its needs. A subterranean heat exchange underneath the ESMF will reduce the need for electrical heating and air conditioning. Additionally electrical charging points for vehicles have been provided.

In pursuit of CTBTO’s heavy dependency on data and applications processing from its global stations, the organisation has invested in computer hardware conforming to green credentials with lower power consumption, more virtual servers to displace raw hardware, reduced heat emissions and automated controls to cut down on cooling leakages. Obsolete hardware is also being decommissioned according to Austrian environmental rules.

Each year, as part of the Greening the Blue Report on Environmental Governance, each participating UN entity’s progress on the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) is evaluated according to the UN system’s EMS criteria (these criteria are available on the Methodology webpage). Upon this evaluation the entity is then rated Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or No response. For the 2022 reporting year, CTBTO’s progress on the EMS is rated as: No response.

ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS AND STANDARDS IN POLICIES, PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

For the 2022 reporting year, CTBTO’s status of implementing environmental and social safeguards and standards in their policies, projects and programmes is: No response.

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL

For the 2022 reporting year, CTBTO’s status on providing training on environmental sustainability is: No response.

OFFSETTING

CTBTO is considering carbon offsetting for 2020. 

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

CTBTO consolidates waste management on every floor with the communal organisational efforts made at the Vienna International Centre.  All electronic waste is disposed of at Austrian environmental standards.

NEXT STEPS

CTBTO is considering carbon offsetting in 2020. With a major symposium called Science and Technology being hosted in Vienna in June 2021, we are taking steps to ensure an eco-friendly attitude and action for this large international gathering, minimising waste and printed matter, maximising use of recyclable materials, minimising the offsetting needs by using eco-friendly hotel partners and wherever possible environment friendly transportation modalities.