Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 76.52
Liaison Maria Kirrane
Submission Date July 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.40 / 3.00 Niall Dunphy
Dr
Cleaner Production Promotion Unit
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Methodology used based on Greenhouse Gas Protocol corporate accounting and reporting standard. This standard was previously used to calculate UCC's Carbon Footprint in 08/09 and 11/12, 16/17 so the same methodology was employed here using updated data for AY 17/18 and updated emission factors. Greenhouse gas emissions are expressed in terms of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (CO2e).
Scope one and two data were obtained from the Buildings and Estates office for Stationary Combustion, Mobile Combustion, Purchased Grid Electricity and CHP. Fugitive emissions were negligible and not included. CO2 emission factors for Ireland were sourced from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, conversion factors for CH4 and N20 were sourced from the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland.
Employee and student commuting figures were extrapolated from the commuting surveys described in OP16 and 17. Academic business travel data was sourced from the UCC finance office for staff academic travel. Student & Clubs/Societies travel data was sourced directly from academic departments and Clubs & Societies. Waste and water figures were also obtained from the UCC Buildings and Estates office. Scope three emission factors were sourced from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in the UK, from their 2018 inventory.
Data on procured goods and services was obtained from the UCC Procurement Office. Greenhouse gas emissions from procurement or supply-chain activities was estimated through the application of environmentally-extended input output (EEIO) analysis using. Conversion factors for procured goods and services were obtained from the OECD.
For a detailed description of methodology please see attached supporting documentation.

Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
Yes

A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
Internal verification by Dr Niall Dunphy of the Cleaner Production Promotion Unit at University College Cork.

Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Scope 1 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Weight in MTCO2e
Stationary combustion 5,709.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) 42.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
5,752.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity 14,296.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
14,296.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

GHG emissions from biomass combustion
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
Yes or No Weight in MTCO2e
Business travel Yes 6,685.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting Yes 8,897.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services Yes 8,199.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods No ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No ---
Waste generated in operations Yes 8.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources Yes 278.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
24,069.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Employee and student commuting figures were extrapolated from the commuting surveys described in OP16 and 17. Academic business travel data was sourced from the UCC finance office for staff academic travel. Student & Clubs/Societies travel data was sourced directly from academic departments and Clubs & Societies. Waste and water figures were also obtained from the UCC Buildings and Estates office. Scope three emission factors were sourced from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in the UK, from their 2018 inventory.
Data on procured goods and services was obtained from the UCC Procurement Office. Greenhouse gas emissions from procurement or supply-chain activities was estimated through the application of environmentally-extended input output (EEIO) analysis using. Conversion factors for procured goods and services were obtained from the OECD. Data for procured goods and services includes capital projects, thus capital goods are not reported separately.
For a detailed description of methodology please see attached supporting documentation.

Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory

Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
No

Annual weight of emissions for::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) ---
Sulfur oxides (SOx) ---
Carbon monoxide (CO) ---
Particulate matter (PM) ---
Ozone (O3) ---
Lead (Pb) ---
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) ---
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) ---
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations ---

Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
Yes or No
Major stationary sources ---
Area sources ---
Mobile sources ---
Commuting ---
Off-site electricity production ---

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
---

Optional Fields

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
14,296.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.