Measuring Carbon Footprint of an Indian University Using Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

This paper presents carbon footprint of Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani (BITS Pilani), Pilani campus, India using the life cycle analysis (LCA). The direct emissions of university owned facilities, indirect energy emissions of purchased electricity, heat or steam, and other indirect emissions, which are the outcomes of university activities but controlled by other organizations have been considered for the greenhouse gas emissions. Various emissions are modelled in Umberto NXT Universal software using ISO 14064 standards. It has been found that the contribution of indirect emissions is 99%. This study highlights the need of formulating policies to reduce such emissions. The results have been compared with the other university results available in the literature.