Greenhouse Gas Data (GHG)

Research Summary

- by Alice Lenanyokie '07

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that requires countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With industrialization the level of GHGs, in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), has been increasing due to fossil fuels combustion and other human activities. The increased concentration of C02 in the atmosphere enhances the greenhouse effect and warms the earth's surface. The resulting global warming affects human and non-human life in many ways, including species extinction, sea level rise, coastal erosion, food production, insurance services, and species ranges- very serious impacts indeed.

In response, the Kyoto Protocol was developed in 1997. The protocol requires developed countries to reduce their GHG emissions by 5.2% from 1990 levels. The United States agreed to 7% cuts, but has not ratified the treaty. Due to lack of leadership at the national level, institutions like universities are taking it upon themselves to meet the US target. This study calculates St. Lawrence University's GHG emissions and suggests cost effective ways to reduce our GHGs to the standard required of the US. In addition, the report includes the costs associated with reducing GHG emissions and a possible way to finance the reduction process. The cost is compared to student's willingness to pay for the SLU to become Kyoto compliant.

This first step is to develop a GHG inventory for St. Lawrence University. Using a GHG calculator developed by Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP), a comprehensive emissions inventory of SLU activities for the years between 1990 and including 2006 is provided herein.

SLU emissions come from energy, wastes, and agricultural sources. Energy sources are divided into on-campus stationary sources (mainly heating), purchased electricity, and transportation. Agricultural sources come from horse and sheep that the University keeps at the stables and Ecological Sustainability Landscape and fertilizer applied to the grounds. Data for some sectors, such as air transportation and coolant recharging, were not available and not included in this report. By calculating GHG contribution of each emission source, it is possible to identify where most emissions are coming from. In addition, it will allow the University to identify cost effective reduction efforts.

SLU emitted 14,506 metric tonnes of eCO2 (a metric measure used to compare the emissions of different greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential) in 2006, a 27% increase from 1990. On-campus, stationary sources account for the largest share of emission (49%), with purchased electricity a close second (47%). Agriculture, wastes, and transportation account for relatively minor contributions (figure 1). GHGs released from purchased electricity increased by 3,429 tonnes since 1990. However, eCO2 released by stationary sources and the transportation sector has decreased by 248 and 66 tonnes respectively.

This inventory shows that SLU can become Kyoto Protocol compliant in a cost effective way by substituting 6% of its conventionally produced electricity with renewable energy. In 2006, SLU used a total of 16,263,404 kWh of electricity at a cost of $1,912,600 (~11.8 cents per kWh) and emitted 68,818 metric tonnes of CO2. SLU could reach the US Kyoto target of 7% below 1990 emission levels (dashed line in Figure 1) by purchasing 932,619 kWh of electricity from renewable sources (solid brace in Figure 1). The extra cost to SLU to offset 3,917 tonnes of CO2 would be $13,989.29. The cost per student would be $6.50 per year or $3.25 a semester.

Figure 1: Total SLU GHG emissions by sector per year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A poll was conducted to measure the willingness of SLU students to pay for the extra tuition costs needed to meet the Kyoto Protocol target. On average, SLU students are willing to pay $28.59 per semester to meet the Kyoto targets; some as high as $1,000. The results show that SLU students are more than willing to pay for our institution to become Kyoto compliant and show leadership in climate protection.

Recommendations for future work include:

• Establish a GHG inventory and database that is updated yearly;
• Make GHG calculation part of the operating duties of SLU operations;
• Start tracking missing data;
• Conduct a more extensive survey of students;
• Consider other options to reduce GHG emissions such as energy conservation and efficiency.