Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Overview
Greenhouse gas inventories reveal that 75% of our emissions are associated with campus building energy use. 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: cogen natural gas, purchased natural gas, emergency generators, campus fleet, emissions from refrigerants
- Scope 2 - Indirect Emissions: purchased electricity
- Scope 3 - Optional Emissions: business air travel, student commute, faculty/staff commute, solid waste, water consumption, air travel
The campus reports its GHG inventory to both The Climate Registry and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Third party verification of the inventory is completed as part of the reporting process.
2019 Berkeley GHG Emissions Inventory
Emissions Sources |
1990
|
2008
|
2019
|
2021
|
Plant Natural Gas | 60,457 | 66,125 | 130,955 | 117,660 |
Electricity | 40,296 | 62,384 | 2,320 | 2,900 |
Air Travel | 19,980 | 21,865 | 24,566 | 6,706 |
Faculty & Staff Commute | 23,142 | 18,027 | 12,329 | 10,392 |
Nautral Gas | 8,148 | 12,453 | 11,505 | 10,950 |
Student Commute | 4,100 | 3,824 | 3,245 | 2,613 |
Water | 783 | 864 | 304 | 278 |
Campus Fleet | 1,968 | 1,701 | 1,755 | 1,491 |
Solid Waste | 996 | 981 | 693 | 376 |
Fugitive-Refrigerants |
237 | 66 | 469 | 237 |
De Minimis | 281 | 281 | 281 | 281 |
TOTAL EMISSIONS | 160,389 | 188,572 | 188,422 | 144,485 |
Emissions Profile
2019 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.
2019 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. UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory has provided some lifecycle analysis of campus emissions as have students in reports like this an award winning student research project.
Zero emissions!
Cal employees participate in
Bike to Work Day,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and building healthy habits
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Did you know that waste materials
contribute to GHG emissions?
Berkeley students use recycled materials
in ceramics projects.
UC Berkeley staff promote reusable alternatives to
disposable cups and bottles at a CACS Summit
Research
Professor Claudia Ostertag,
Civil and Environmental Engineering,
creates new concrete composites to reduce GHG emissions