Calculation of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University's Carbon Footprint with IPCC Tier 1 Approach and DEFRA Method

Abstract

As a result of the increase and diversification of human needs from past to present, greenhouse gas accumulation occurs in the atmosphere. The natural disasters and climate change problems experienced today are especially caused by air pollution. The continuous increase in human needs brought about by the production age, which started with the industrial revolution and was supported by rapid population growth and urbanization, has caused intense greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The air pollution has increased due to the growing demand for energy met by fossil fuels. In order to combat air pollution, which is clearly felt, many conferences and meetings have been held in the past and declarations and agreements have begun to be made. The fight against air pollution has not only been carried out internationally, but has also been supported by individual countries creating rules such as regulations, laws and statutes. Especially with the Kyoto Protocol, attention was drawn to greenhouse gases, and it was emphasized that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced. For this purpose, it has become important to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions, that is, the carbon footprint of countries, institutions, and areas of activity. In this study, the carbon footprint of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University was calculated using IPCC Tier 1 methodology and DEFRA conversion factors. Carbon dioxide emission values resulting from the university's fuel and electricity consumption were subsequently compared. The results of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from electricity consumption in IPCC and DEFRA methods were confronted with the results obtained with Turkey data. Fuel and electricity consumption data received from the university were used in the calculations. It was found that the emission amount was 4,759,087.57 kg CO2e in 2020 when calculated with the IPCC Tier 1 approach, and 3,419,082.09 kg CO2e in 2020 when calculated using DEFRA conversion factors. In 2021, when calculated with the IPCC Tier 1 approach, this value increased by 88% to 8,955,635.86 kg CO2e, and when calculated using DEFRA conversion factors, the same value increased by 119.69% to 7,511,422.31 kg CO2e in 2021. In 2022, when calculated with the IPCC Tier 1 approach, it was seen to be 10,093,960.88 kg CO2e, increasing by 13% with the same method, and when calculated using DEFRA conversion factors, it was found to be 7,625,269.61 kg CO2e, increasing by 1.88% in 2022 using the same method. According to the calculations, while the number of trees required to be on campus to zero the campus carbon footprint is 211,515 for the IPCC methodology for 2020, this number is 151,959 according to the DEFRA method. For 2021, while it was 398,028 for the IPCC methodology, this number was 333,841 according to the DEFRA method. The required number of trees was calculated as 448,620 and 340,101 for 2022 according to IPCC and DEFRA methods, respectively.