Greenhouse Gases

In the 2022-23 academic year, HKUST emitted 38,121 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) from sources of Scope 1 and 2, which is 0.61% higher than 2021-22. Scope 1 Direct GHG emissions increased by 19.39% this year while Scope 2 Indirect GHG emissions showed a 0.08% increment. Scope 3 Other GHG emissions raised by 81.11% due to last year’s low Scope 3 GHG emission.  

GHG Emission per Capita is 1.79, showing a 2.72% reduction compared to 2021-22, while Gross Floor Area (GFA) is 578007 m2, giving GHG Emission per GFA as 0.66, increasing by 0.61%.  

Compared to the base year (2014-15), Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions decreased by 11.22%, 38.37% and 30.06% respectively, while total GHG emissions sees a 37.74% reduction. GHG Emission per Capita and per GFA decreased by 52.14% and 48.96% respectively. 

The intensity of emissions per capita and per square meter of building area have decreased over seven straight academic years. This shows that there has been improvement in energy use efficiency from the infrastructure upgrade and GHG emissions factors from local utility’s greener fuel mix.

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 other parties, but are influenced by university actions. Examples are employee commuting and university-sponsored air travel.