| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.87 |
| Liaison | Carrie Metzgar |
| Submission Date | Nov. 5, 2024 |
University of California, San Diego
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.56 / 8.00 |
Sam
Petersen EH&S Specialist Environment Health & Safety |
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross GHG emissions
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 170,495 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 152,485 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 5,231 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 5,701 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 4,194 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 31,120 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 1.34 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 179,921.34 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 189,306 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Carbon sinks
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 12,783 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:
The University of California (UC) is obligated under California state law AB 32 to comply with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) cap-and-trade program. As such, UC San Diego currently participates in the California Cap-and-Trade compliance market using carbon offsets to cover approximately 8% of its compliance obligations: https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/offsets/offsets.htm. The Regents of the University of California are the official buyer and retire the allowances through the UC Office of the President's Energy Services Unit. The verification program is the California Air Resources Board with approved offset protocols under the Cap-and-Trade Program.
Adjusted net GHG emissions
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 179,921.34 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 189,306 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Performance and baseline periods
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | Jan. 1, 2022 | Jan. 1, 2008 |
| End date | Dec. 31, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The year 2008 was chosen as a baseline in UC San Diego’s first Climate Action Plan, completed in 2008.
Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person
Weighted campus users
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 18,034 | 9,549 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 364 | 1,601 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 799 | 548 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 38,361 | 27,750 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 33,914 | 18,854 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 59,604.75 | 38,288.50 |
Metrics used in scoring for Part 1
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user | 3.02 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4.94 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area
Performance year floor area
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 3,006,998 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 2,298,480 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 1,759,636 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
UC San Diego has long been a leader in climate change research and education, starting with Dr. Charles Keeling's groundbreaking work, which showed that rising levels of atmospheric carbon could be correlated to fossil fuel emissions. Owing to this heritage, UC San Diego continues to be committed to being a good steward of the environment and reducing its carbon footprint.
In July 2023, the UC adopted stronger climate policy goals focused on direct action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The updated policy is to reduce total emissions (scopes 1, 2, and 3) at least 90% by 2045 without relying on voluntary carbon offsets. At the time of this report, UC San Diego is in the process of conducting a Decarbonization Study, which evaluates potential pathways for emission reductions. The Decarbonization Study will be completed at the end of 2024. UC San Diego will then update its Climate Action Plan by 2026.
Below are highlights of UC San Diego’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
- Since 2001, UC San Diego’s highly efficient cogeneration plant has generated over 75% of the La Jolla campus' energy.
- In 2008 UC San Diego began an aggressive energy efficiency program that has completed over $100M in energy efficiency projects, saving the campus more than $8M in annual energy costs. UC San Diego’s energy program has been nationally recognized for its leadership and innovation in applying state-of-the-art energy management practices to minimize campus environmental impacts.
- UC San Diego incorporated large-scale thermal energy storage capacity into the La Jolla campus chilled water system to reduce peak load and energy costs.
- UC San Diego has installed over 500 EV charging stations. UC San Diego is currently deploying a multi-year project to install over 900 additional EV chargers, funded by the UC San Diego EV Program, Inflation Reduction Act, and the California Energy Commission.
- UC San Diego converted the University's fleet to more than 60% alternative fuel vehicles.
- The campus celebrated the grand opening of the new Blue trolley line, along with two UC San Diego stations, on November 21, 2021. Planning and development of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley Stations was done in partnership with UC San Diego and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). In the second full calendar year of Trolley service to campus, 2023, total ridership to and from the two campus stations increased to nearly 2 million rides, indicating nearly 60% increase year over year. For the calendar year 2024, to date, the monthly ridership numbers continue to increase by year-to-date counts by nearly 16% above the previous year counts.
- Per the UC Sustainable Practices Policy, all new buildings and major renovations are to meet a minimum LEED Gold rating.
The updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2026 will continue to embrace the vision of a student-centered university, using experiential learning techniques to provide opportunities for students to gain real-world experience. Through involvement in the CAP process, students will be able to learn by doing, gaining valuable problem solving and leadership skills as they tackle the complex, inter-connected issues involved in climate planning and decarbonization. Offering educational as well as research opportunities for students and faculty will be integral to successful CAP implementation.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
As noted previously, the gross floor area and physical boundary for UC San Diego's climate/greenhouse gas reporting includes the Hillcrest Medical Center. Thus, the WCU was adjusted from PRE-5 to include the Hillcrest Center, totaling 59,604.75. The gross floor area of building space provided for this credit was 23,687,863.
View the Academics and Demographics calculations spreadsheet for more information: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kTGIyqMqQrfB80Sh6mp9sabd8dDv_iHr/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104925632587510143377&rtpof=true&sd=true
View the Gross Square Footage calculations spreadsheet for more information: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sviLo36OHCSiUMdE0FFMUV5vjm_zh0FR/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104925632587510143377&rtpof=true&sd=true
Points of contact for credit information:
- Sam Petersen, EH&S Specialist, Environment, Health & Safety
- Michelle Perez, Energy and Sustainability Manager, Utilities & Sustainability
- Carrie Metzgar, Campus Sustainability Officer, Utilities & Sustainability
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.