Progress and Performance

Greenhouse Gases

In the 2018-19 academic year, HKUST emitted 47,500 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) from sources of Scope 1 and 2, which is 2.7% lower than last year. Scope 1 Direct GHG emissions increased by 6.9% this year due to the renovation of G/F & LG1 canteen during 2017-18; while Scope 2 Energy indirect GHG emissions shows a 3% reduction. 

Because of the high plug load and cooling load demand, Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity are dominant, which account for around 96% of reported GHG emissions. The intensity of emissions per capita and per square meter of building area have decreased over three straight academic years.   

SCOPE 1&2 GHG EMISSIONS TREND

2010-11 TO 2018-19

Definitions

Scope 1 emissions refer to those generated on site. Examples are gasoline for vehicles, towngas for cooking, and leaked refrigerants from air conditioning.

Scope 2 emissions refer to those generated by off-site power plants. While the university is responsible for using electricity, it has no control over the conditions in the plant.

Scope 3 emissions refer to emissions emitted by someone else, but are influenced by university actions. Examples are employee commuting and university-sponsored air travel.