Inventory Overview
Greenhouse gas inventories reveal that electricity and steam usage account for about 63% of campus emissions and 72% of our emissions are associated with campus buildings. The majority of the remaining emissions come from campus related travel.
UC Berkeley reports on ten emissions sources and analyzes emissions in three different categories:
- Scope 1 - Direct Emissions: natural gas, campus fleet, emissions from refrigerants
- Scope 2 - Indirect Emissions: purchased electricity, purchased steam
- Scope 3 - Optional Emissions: business air travel, student commute, faculty/staff commute, solid waste, water consumption
The campus reports its GHG inventory to both The Climate Registry and the California Air Resources Board and makes results available to the public. Third party verification of the inventory is completed as part of the reporting process; inventories since 2005 have been successfully 3rd party verified.
2016 Berkeley GHG Emissions Inventory
emissions Sources |
1990
|
2007
|
2015
|
2016
|
| Steam | 60,457 | 66,125 | 54,229 | 55,252 |
| Electricity | 40,296 | 62,384 | 43,048 | 42,609 |
| Air Travel | 19,980 | 21,865 | 23,786 | 22,722 |
| Faculty & Staff Commute | 23,142 | 18,027 | 14,870 | 11,958 |
| Nautral Gas | 8,148 | 12,453 | 10,507 | 10,463 |
| Student Commute | 4,100 | 3,824 | 4,271 | 5,863 |
| Water | 783 | 864 | 529 | 527 |
| Campus Fleet | 1,968 | 1,701 | 1,190 | 1,198 |
| Solid Waste | 996 | 981 | 625 | 594 |
| Fugitive-Refrigerants |
237 | 66 | 120 | 182 |
| De Minimis | 281 | 281 | 281 | 281 |
| TOTAL EMISSIONS | 160,389 | 188,572 | 153,460 | 151,650 |
Emissions Profile
2016 EMISSIONS PROFILE
Normalized Energy and Climate Data
The campus analyzes emissions, energy use, and transportation scaled to campus population and square footage over time to monitor normalized progress and for comparison purposes.
2016 EMISSIONS PER CAPITA
Carbon Footprint Lifecycle Analysis
UC Berkeley recognizes that the reported emissions inventory does not fully reflect the complete carbon footprint of campus activities. A lifecycle analysis includes greenhouse gas emissions from all stages of a product/service lifecycle, including mining, manufacturing, and transportation. In 2006, a preliminary lifecycle analysis was done. UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory has provided some updates to the lifecycle analysis of campus emissions. See the most recent campus LCA research and analysis done through an award winning student research project.
