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Air Travel Carbon Audit and Student Sustainability Commitments

Overview:  

UCalgary’s Climate Action Plan highlights the goal of developing a more comprehensive understanding of institutionally driven air travel emissions, and to look for options to offset or mitigate these emissions. The Office of Sustainability’s CLL initiative collaborated with UCalgary International (UCI) to establish a baseline understanding of Scope 3 emissions from UCI supported Student Mobility Programs and executive staff travel. Aleem Tejani, graduate student within the Sustainable Energy Development (SEDV) program analyzed carbon emissions of Student Mobility Programming and executive travel over the pre-pandemic period of 2018 and 2019 (normal pre-pandemic years). The study proposed recommendations to mitigate emissions and provides a preliminary step towards a more comprehensive understanding of scope 3 emissions produced through air travel at UCalgary. Quantifying scope 3 emissions is an important piece to understanding UCalgary's total emissions profile and achieving our 2050 carbon neutral targets.  

Outcomes:  

In determining a methodology, Aleem found that an important consideration is the use of a radiative forcing factor, a multiplier that accounts for the increase effect of carbon dioxide and other pollutants at high altitude. The study also analyzed the world regions where UCalgary travel is contributing the most emissions and proposes general recommendations on ways in which emissions can be mitigated. This is a preliminary step towards a more comprehensive understanding of emissions produced through air travel.  

Following this study, the Office of Sustainability explored additional avenues to support Students in Mobility Programs in being sustainable citizens. The OS partnered with UCI to provide 247 students going to more than 30 countries with a sustainability pre-departure session where students took on commitments to be sustainable global citizens abroad. 

Example Commitments 

  • “I commit to travelling via train, learning about Singapore’s sustainable planning practices, and adapting my water and energy consumption.”  
  • “[I commit to] recycle according to local laws, walk instead of taking transit when possible, manage my energy and water consumption”  
  • “[I commit to] using reusable bottled water, bring my own reusable bags, bring my own reusable cutlery, volunteer where I can, and go to local stores”  

Next Steps:  

Aleem’s study provides a better understanding of UCalgary Scope 3 emissions. More studies will be conducted on other sources of Scope 3 emissions produced by UCalgary to complete the picture. 

Students in Mobility Programs are still in the field; however, UCI and the OS will be following up with these students to see the results and recommendations of their sustainability commitments through this pilot and, depending on outcomes, may develop a collaborative D2L module to increase student participation and impact year-over-year