Stridsland Thomas, Boeve Timen M, Løkke Søren, Sanderson Hans
Aarhus University, Dept. Environmental Science, iClimate Center, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
Aalborg University, Dept. of Planning, The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Rendsbruggade 14, 9000, Aalborg, Denmark.
Heliyon. 2024 Apr 26;10(10):e30370. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30370. eCollection 2024 May 30.
The challenges faced by universities and private industry in estimating their emissions for decarbonisation are similar, but the task of linking emissions to university operations, namely procurement, is complex and time-consuming due to the wide range and types of purchases. Here, participatory action research is used to address these challenges, with a group of Danish universities to investigate the functions and improve the completeness of university GHG inventories. The research enabled knowledge sharing and collaboration, leading to a better understanding of the complexities and possibilities of GHG inventories. The main conclusions drawn from discussions are that the GHG inventory should serve multiple functions; an inward-facing decision support material, and an externally-facing communication tool. EXIOBASE, an environmentally extended input-output model, was identified as a useful tool for future inventories, particularly in procurement, due to its comprehensive spend-based assessment of purchases also relevant to universities. With more universities adopting spend-based practices, the presented conclusions shed light on potential risks of this method that have not yet been discussed in this context. A consensus on methodological trade-offs, relevant activities, and data considerations for a GHG inventory are reached and reflected on. As suppliers can increasingly deliver product specific climate related information, a data ontology is needed to appropriately incorporate supplier-specific data into consistent inventories without conflicting with methodological principles and upholding proprietary requirements of suppliers. Addressing challenges identified through this collaborative investigation will expand on the dialogue in the literature and help shape how universities conduct and use GHG inventories. Keywords: Sustainable university; Action Research; Consequential Attributional; GHG Protocol.
大学和私营企业在估算脱碳排放量时面临的挑战相似，但由于采购的范围广泛和类型多样，将排放与大学运营（即采购）联系起来的任务既复杂又耗时。在此，采用参与式行动研究来应对这些挑战，与丹麦的一组大学合作，以调查大学温室气体清单的功能并提高其完整性。该研究促进了知识共享与合作，使人们对温室气体清单的复杂性和可能性有了更好的理解。从讨论中得出的主要结论是，温室气体清单应具备多种功能：既是面向内部的决策支持材料，也是面向外部的沟通工具。EXIOBASE，一种环境扩展投入产出模型，被认为是未来清单编制的有用工具，特别是在采购方面，因为它基于支出对采购进行全面评估，这也与大学相关。随着越来越多的大学采用基于支出的做法，本文得出的结论揭示了这种方法在这一背景下尚未被讨论过的潜在风险。就温室气体清单编制的方法权衡、相关活动和数据考量达成了共识并进行了反思。由于供应商能够越来越多地提供特定产品的气候相关信息，因此需要一种数据本体，以便在不与方法原则冲突且符合供应商专有要求的情况下，将供应商特定数据适当地纳入一致的清单中。应对通过此次合作调查发现的挑战，将拓展文献中的对话，并有助于塑造大学编制和使用温室气体清单的方式。关键词：可持续大学；行动研究；结果归因；温室气体协议
