Climate Action Plan
Queen's has an opportunity to save money and make better use of energy through conservation and efficiency.
Energy costs, although subject to some market fluctuations, continue to rise. The annual campus utility budget is now approximately $18 million.
In addition, traditional methods of energy production rely heavily on fossil fuels, of which consumption entails negative environmental impacts. In particular, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels are contributing greatly to global climate change.
The University is seeking alternative forms of energy production, such as geo-exchange wells, and major infrastructure upgrades and retrofits as we strive toward our target of becoming carbon neutral by 2040.
Climate Action Plan (PDF 4.8 MB)GHG Inventory Overview
The campus greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory captures emissions attributable to Queen鈥檚 University and is prepared in accordance with established reporting protocols.
The inventory includes all Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions sources associated with facilities that are either owned or operationally controlled by the university within Ontario.
The campus inventory reports two emissions totals:
- Total Emissions: Represents the full carbon footprint of Queen鈥檚 University, including emissions from the Central Heating Plant.
- Adjusted Total Emissions: Represents the emissions attributable solely to university operations and is the value used to measure progress toward GHG reduction targets.
Maintaining these two values is necessary because a portion of the steam produced by the Central Heating Plant is supplied to Kingston General Hospital, which accounts for approximately 20% of total steam production. As the hospital is not under the university鈥檚 operational control, the emissions associated with its steam consumption are excluded from the adjusted total. Consequently, the adjusted emissions total serves as the basis for Queen鈥檚 University鈥檚 GHG reduction targets and performance reporting.
Annual Emissions
Calculating Emissions
A GHG inventory is a tally and calculation of the emissions and removals that occur within a specific area.
The established reporting protocols to help ensure consistency in emission reporting. These protocols lay the groundwork by providing common definitions, defining scope and outlining calculation methodology.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions typically refer to the six gases identified by the IPCC and used in the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); perfluorocarbons (PFCs); and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Scientists have determined that these gases have the 成人大片 impact on climate change.
The calculation results are expressed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). This is a universal unit of measure that indicates the global warming potential (GWP) of each of the six greenhouse gases, expressed in terms of the GWP of one unit of carbon dioxide. Inventory results are often referred to as a carbon footprint.
Within inventories the IPCC has defined three categories of emission sources, including;
- Scope 1 emissions are direct source emissions owned or controlled by institutions and miscellaneous leaks like fuel burning in heating plants and potential chemical seepage from a fire suppression system
- Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased utilities like electricity
- Scope 3 emissions are all other indirect emissions like those associated with supply chain, employee travel, waste etc.