Renewable Energy Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Al Al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan; Energy Institute, Advanced Resource Efficiency Centre and Energy 2050, University of Sheffield, UK.
Energy Institute, Advanced Resource Efficiency Centre and Energy 2050, University of Sheffield, UK; Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Oct 20;896:165178. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165178. Epub 2023 Jun 29.
This paper aims to understand the critical areas for sustainable behavioural change on a university campus in order to achieve the net zero‑carbon ambition pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery. For this purpose, the current empirical study is the first attempt to statistically examine the whole campus as a system, considering staff and student views (campus users), by developing an index measuring propensity for sustainable behavioural change to achieve a net zero‑carbon campus. The novelty of this study is based on the following: (i) The impact of environmental sustainability measures due to COVID-19 is examined on three themes: physical activity routines on a daily basis, research, and teaching and learning, and (ii) the index that is compatible with quantifying the behavioural change. A multi-indicator questionnaire is used to collect empirical data for each of the three themes. Based on 630 responses, descriptive statistical analysis, normality tests, significance tests, and t-tests are performed using statistical and graphical software, and conducting uncertainty and sensitivity analyses on this quantitative data. The study found that 95 % of campus users agreed to use reusable materials on campus, and 74 % were willing to pay more for sustainable products. In addition, 88 % agreed to seek alternative and sustainable transportation for short research trips, while 71 % prioritised online conferences and project meetings for sustainable hybrid working. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the frequency of reusable material usage among campus users, as indicated by the index analysis, which showed a significant decrease from 0.8536 to 0.3921. The statistical findings show that campus users are more likely to initiate and endorse environmental sustainability measures in research and daily life than in teaching and learning, and there is no difference in their propensity for change. This research provides net zero‑carbon sustainability researchers and leaders with a crucial baseline for scientific advances in the sustainability field. It also offers practical guidelines for implementing a net zero‑carbon campus, engaging users from various disciplines, which has important implications and contributions.
本文旨在了解大学校园内可持续行为改变的关键领域，以实现新冠疫情前后向净零碳排放目标的恢复。为此，本实证研究首次尝试从系统的角度整体考察校园，同时考虑教职员工和学生的观点（校园用户），通过开发一个衡量实现净零碳校园的可持续行为改变倾向的指数来实现这一目标。本研究的新颖之处在于：（i） 考察了新冠疫情对日常体育活动、研究、教学和学习这三个主题的环境可持续性措施的影响；（ii） 提出了一个与量化行为改变兼容的指数。采用多指标问卷收集了三个主题的实证数据。基于 630 份回复，使用统计和图形软件进行了描述性统计分析、正态性检验、显著性检验和 t 检验，并对这些定量数据进行了不确定性和敏感性分析。研究发现，95%的校园用户同意在校园内使用可重复使用的材料，74%的人愿意为可持续产品支付更高的价格。此外，88%的人同意为短期研究旅行寻找替代和可持续的交通方式，而 71%的人则优先考虑在线会议和项目会议以实现可持续的混合工作。此外，正如指数分析所示，新冠疫情对校园用户使用可重复使用材料的频率产生了负面影响，从 0.8536 显著下降至 0.3921。统计结果表明，校园用户在研究和日常生活中比在教学中更有可能主动采取和支持环境可持续性措施，而且他们改变的倾向没有差异。本研究为净零碳可持续性研究人员和领导者提供了一个重要的科学进展基准，也为实施净零碳校园提供了实用的指导方针，吸引了来自不同学科的用户，具有重要的意义和贡献。
