Determination of Carbon Footprint at Institutions of Higher Education: The Case of the Iğdır University

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

University campuses are centers of living where all kinds of sociocultural activities take place and where students spend most of their time throughout their education life. As a result of these activities, it is inevitable that atmospheric greenhouse gas levels in campuses will increase. One of the most common approaches for determining greenhouse gas emissions is the "carbon footprint". Carbon footprint is an indirect representation of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an organization or individual. This article deals with the calculation stages of the carbon footprint resulting from the activities of Iğdır University Şehit Bülent Yurtseven campus and suggestions for reducing it. The calculations include various activities of the campus, and they contain generally accepted emission scopes. DEFRA guidance was used in the carbon footprint calculation of the campus and the base year for the calculation was 2022. The carbon footprint of Iğdır University in 2022 was calculated as 3679.66 tCO2e/year and 1.27x10-3 tCO2e/m2 on annual and area basis, respectively. These emissions are caused by factors such as natural gas consumption, electricity consumption, transport, water consumption and waste amount. The largest emission source is natural gas consumption (37%), followed by emissions from minibus transportation (31%). In conclusion, universities have an important role to play in identifying innovative approaches to measuring, controlling, and reducing carbon footprints by bringing together people with different skills and experience, advanced research facilities and resources. This article is thought to contribute to the literature in determining the process of preparing a university's greenhouse gas inventory, the possibilities of the university to achieve carbon neutrality and emission reduction strategies through the example of Iğdır University.