Climate change has become a global pressing issue and mitigation efforts have become necessary to ensure a sustainable future. International efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the corresponding Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Analysis Reports, among others, stressing the need to limit global average temperature increase to 2°C, preferably 1.5°C. In this context, documenting the carbon footprint of various local and national activities is considered a mandatory preliminary action. Specifically, calculating and disseminating the carbon footprint of educational institutions can have a double impact: (1) providing preliminary data needed for self-control of emissions and for national reporting and response; and (2) youth awareness and consciousness toward climate change. In order to encourage academic institutions to curb their emissions and improve the accuracy of reporting, a unified tool was developed for carbon footprint calculation in universities. The tool models on-campus emissions and documents activities that are only within the geographical scope of the university, allowing the institution to define the sources of emissions and hotspots. The tool is Excel-based and consists of a structured set of datasheets where the university input data is first provided, emissions are calculated, and then possible mitigation actions are recommended. The emission factors adopted in this model are either country specific or retrieved from 2016 IPCC guidelines. The output is categorized into: purchased electricity, on-campus generated energy, and university fleet. The results are provided per capita, per vehicle and per unit-built area.
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