Towards a Carbon Neutral and Sustainable Campus: Case Study of NED University of Engineering and Technology

Atif Mustafa, Majida Kazmi, Hashim Raza Khan, Saad Ahmed Qazi and Sarosh Hashmat Lodi
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Atif Mustafa: Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Majida Kazmi: Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Hashim Raza Khan: Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Saad Ahmed Qazi: Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Sarosh Hashmat Lodi: Faculty of Civil and Petroleum Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Globally, universities are evaluating and targeting to reduce their carbon emissions and operate on a sustainable basis. The overall aim of this study revolves in addressing the following three questions: (1) How to calculate carbon footprint, including indicators selection, criteria, and measurement, for higher education institutions? (2) How to evaluate impact and effectiveness of various mitigation strategies in context of a higher education institution? (3) What are the possible limitations of approach selected for carbon footprint calculation. This paper presents estimation of the carbon footprint of NED University using a carbon calculator along with the identification of sources with maximum contribution to its carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of the NED University main campus for 2017 was calculated to be approximately 21,500 metric tons of equivalent CO 2 and carbon footprint per student was 1.79 metric tons of equivalent CO 2 . Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions each contributed nearly 7% of the carbon footprint, while Scope 3 emissions accounted for 85.6% of the carbon footprint. Major interventions such as switching to renewables, usage of energy efficient appliances, electric vehicles, and massive tree plantation inside and outside the campus were identified as the most effective mitigation strategies.

Keywords: carbon neutrality; green campus; carbon footprint; urban forests; Pakistan; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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