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UNC-Chapel Hill’s total greenhouse gas emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2007 to 2023. View the report to learn about the breakdown of emissions in these five areas.

In alignment with our commitment to lead sustainability innovation, we’re excited to release our 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report.

Using the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform tool (SIMAP), we assess our sustainability progress by completing a yearly inventory. Every few years, we release a comprehensive report. This report is a more robust analysis of campus emissions, and reports on the status of our Climate Action Plan strategies.

Melanie Elliott, sustainability analyst at Sustainable Carolina, takes on the task of collecting data from 16 different University and community groups. The 2023 report breaks down progress over the last few years, including time impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

It’s exciting to see another year of downward trending emissions,” said Sustainability Analyst Melanie Elliott. “We continue to make significant progress in our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even as our campus sustains growth.”

Report Components

The last comprehensive report came out in 2018. By waiting until the end of the pandemic’s acute phase, we were able to accurately illustrate the pandemic’s impact on all operations. Elliott ensured she had access to all necessary receipts, reports and spreadsheets before formatting them and inserting them into our SIMAP.

SIMAP allows for emissions to be viewed as Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3 and Net MTCDE — or as individual categories. Because Scopes can be confusing, when we create our report, we group emissions into five areas: stationary combustion, purchased electricity, air travel, commuting and other. The report includes individual bar graphs and a short explainer for all five areas. The graphs show emissions in metric tons from 2007 – 2023.

For data-inclined individuals who want to take a deeper dive, the report also lists confidence levels. Elliott assigned these levels based on how she converted and extrapolated data for the report.

Elliott suggests for those interested in learning more about the University’s strategies to reduce emissions to visit the Climate Action Plan.

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