QU study reveals results of campus carbon calculator 2013-2015

The average amount of emissions per person (staff and students) at the Qatar University campus was 3.33 metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2015, while the total campus carbon footprint was 63,732.98 metric tons of CO2e over the same time period. QU is the first university in the GCC region to measure its campus carbon footprint as an operational exercise.A team from the Environment and Sustainability Section at Qatar University’s (QU) Facilities and General Services Department has calculated the QU’s carbon footprint, covering the period from 2013 to 2015, as part of the University’s Sustainability Initiative, a strategic commitment to environmental sustainability through research, teaching, and operational activities.The team included QU environmental and sustainability specialist Mays Abdalla and student from QU College of Arts and Sciences Khan Mohamed Sazzadur Rahman. It was led by QU’s Facilities and General Services Department Environmental and Sustainability Specialist Husameldin Talballa.The collection of data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on campus aims to calculate QU’s carbon footprint. It is crucial to set reduction goals and make the university more sustainable.To define the campus carbon footprint, the team followed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (2004) guidelines that provide standards and guidance for companies and organisations to prepare a GHG emissions inventory. It includes accounting and reporting of the six types of greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The amount of gases emitted was reported in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is the standard unit for measuring carbon footprints. Talballa noted that 2015 values provide the baseline for developing sound strategies, programmes and projects. He added that this should be followed while creating a QU sustainability network, with the aim of building an expertise base that will exchange ideas on issues related to carbon emissions, and raise awareness on the importance of adopting more sustainable practices both on and outside the campus. He also noted that the team followed the internationally recognised Campus Carbon Calculator guide, issued by the Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire.