Carbon footprint assessment for university campuses using corporate accounting and reporting standard protocol

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a case study of university carbon footprint assessment using a standardized protocol, useful for comparative research on institutional emissions accounting.

🏢実務担当者:Offers a practical template for universities and similar organizations to conduct GHG inventories and identify key emission sources for reduction.

🏛政策担当者:Demonstrates how higher education institutions can contribute to national climate targets through standardized carbon accounting, informing policy for educational sector decarbonization.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During the escalating global climate crisis, higher education institutions have emerged as pivotal actors in the multi-sectoral transition toward carbon neutrality. The study objectives were to present a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment for Phase I of a multi-campus initiative at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, evaluating emissions across seven urban campuses from 2019 to 2022 to align with national sustainability targets and global climate action goals. METHODS: Following the Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard Protocol (2005), the research quantified Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (indirect electricity), and selected Scope 3 (staff air travel) emissions for the period 2019–2022. Data collection used standardized virtual forms to compile institutional records, including fuel receipts, utility bills, and air travel logs provided by the Aviatur travel agency. Emissions were calculated by multiplying activity data by city-specific and international emission factors, reporting all values in ton carbon dioxide equivalents. FINDINGS: For campuses in cold climatic zones, 2022 CF values were 174.9- ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.0143- ton carbon dioxide equivalents/person) in Bogotá and 75.4- ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.0152- ton carbon dioxide equivalents/person) in Pasto, representing reductions of 15.93 percent and 27.72 percent relative to 2019. In mild climatic zones, 2022 emissions were 147.5 ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.0163 ton carbon dioxide equivalents /person) for Ibagué–Espinal, 200.8 ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.0270 ton carbon dioxide equivalents/person) for Medellín, 258.8-ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.3839 ton carbon dioxide equivalents/person) for Nacional, 239.1-ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.1111-ton carbon dioxide equivalents/person) for Pereira–Cartago, and 67.7 ton carbon dioxide equivalents (0.0375-ton carbon dioxide equivalents /person) for Popayán, with percentage variations of +8.78 percent, +33.06 percent, +60.75 percent, +5.18 percent, and +37.56 percent from 2019 baselines, respectively. CONCLUSION: Across all campuses, Scope 2 electricity consumption was identified as the primary emission source, followed by Scope 1 fugitive emissions and Scope 3 staff travel. Key mitigation initiatives included the installation of solar-powered luminaires in Bogotá and energy-efficient light-emitting diode in Pasto. The results underscore the need for energy-efficiency programs, improved air-conditioning maintenance, and reduced travel to mitigate emissions. These findings provide Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia with actionable insights for its 2025 carbon neutrality goal and offer a replicable model for higher education institutions to standardize carbon accounting frameworks in alignment with international protocols.

• openalex https://doaj.org/article/ac520668d04c4f37bd75b4d04beb00d5first seen 2026-08-02 17:06:16