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Carbon Footprint at a United Arab Emirates University: GHG Protocol

Author

Listed:
  • Fatin Samara

    (Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates)

  • Sahar Ibrahim

    (Independent Researcher, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates)

  • Mohammed Ekrima Yousuf

    (Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates)

  • Rose Armour

    (Sustainability Office, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates)

Abstract

Background: University campuses can be leaders of change by tracking carbon footprints and establishing strategies for reductions. The American University of Sharjah (AUS) has led this effort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), establishing an Office of Sustainability to address energy consumption on its campus, resulting in a reduction of 30% by 2015. AUS campus uses the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to annually track carbon footprint. The purpose of this paper is to stablish a framework that institutions can use to calculate the carbon footprint (CF) on their university campuses. Methods: The GHG Protocol, which categorizes emissions into three scopes; 1: direct, 2: indirect, and 3: other indirect emissions, was used as a guideline. This paper covers the following: Scope 1: emissions from university fleet, Scope 2: emissions from electricity and water consumption, Scope 3: emissions from the university commute, limited business air travel and waste. The data for each category are analyzed and recommendations to reduce the carbon footprint are presented. Results: The total CO 2 emissions for the AUS campus in 2018–2019 were 94,553.30 tCO 2 e. Additionally, the percentage contribution of total emissions for Scope 1, 2 and 3 were 0.37%, 61.12% and 38.51%. Conclusions: The two highest contributors of CO 2 emissions at the AUS campus are electricity consumption (60.91%) and university commute (36.54%). AUS has hosted numerous educational campaigns and awareness programs to try to reduce carbon emissions, which helped in reducing electricity consumption throughout campus; however, these are still insufficient; hence, the importance of quantifying the CF of the AUS campus. Based on the results obtained, recommendations can be made to reduce overall CO 2 emissions for AUS and other higher education institutions in the region and internationally.

Suggested Citation

  • Fatin Samara & Sahar Ibrahim & Mohammed Ekrima Yousuf & Rose Armour, 2022. "Carbon Footprint at a United Arab Emirates University: GHG Protocol," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:5:p:2522-:d:755720
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pablo Yañez & Arijit Sinha & Marcia Vásquez, 2019. "Carbon Footprint Estimation in a University Campus: Evaluation and Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lanre Olatomiwa & James Garba Ambafi & Umar Suleiman Dauda & Omowunmi Mary Longe & Kufre Esenowo Jack & Idowu Adetona Ayoade & Isah Ndakara Abubakar & Alabi Kamilu Sanusi, 2023. "A Review of Internet of Things-Based Visualisation Platforms for Tracking Household Carbon Footprints," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-32, October.
    2. Eckard Helmers, 2024. "Do’s and Don’ts in Climate Impact Assessment of University Campuses: Towards Responsible, Transparent and Comprehensive Reporting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-24, October.
    3. Raghad Almashhour & Fatin Samara, 2022. "Evaluating Livability Perceptions: Indicators to Evaluate Livability of a University Campus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-31, September.
    4. Riccardo Boiocchi & Marco Ragazzi & Vincenzo Torretta & Elena Cristina Rada, 2023. "Critical Analysis of the GreenMetric World University Ranking System: The Issue of Comparability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.

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