Climate Mitigation, Campus Carbon Accounting, and Sustainability Transition in Higher Education: Evidence from Pakistan
Campus Carbon Accounting in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66529/agripat.2026.2.3.93Keywords:
carbon footprint; campus carbon accounting; climate mitigation; low-carbon transition; higher education; PakistanAbstract
Higher education institutions have an important role in climate mitigation, yet campus greenhouse gas inventories remain limited in developing countries. This study estimates the carbon footprint of the University of Swabi, Pakistan, for 2025 using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Emissions from university-operated transport (Scope 1), purchased electricity (Scope 2), and private commuting and solid waste (Scope 3) were quantified using institutional records and Pakistan-specific emission factors. The university's total annual carbon footprint was estimated at 855.49 tCO₂e, with purchased electricity contributing 46.38%, private commuting 36.75%, solid waste 15.91%, and university transport 0.98%. The per capita footprint was approximately 0.19 tCO₂e, reflecting the institution's relatively small size and developing infrastructure. Sensitivity analysis indicated total emissions could range from 684 to 1,027 tCO₂e under alternative assumptions. The findings identify electricity consumption and commuting as the principal emission sources and highlight the need for improved carbon accounting, renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, sustainable transport, waste management, and institutional sustainability governance. This study provides a baseline for monitoring campus emissions and supports low-carbon university development in resource-constrained settings.
References
Akhtar, S., Sahibzada, N. I., Saif, S., Inayat, S., & Ahmad, S. R. (2017). Carbon footprint of a beverage bottling plant in Lahore, Pakistan. Current World Environment, 12(2), 222–230. https://doi.org/10.12944/CWE.12.2.05 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12944/CWE.12.2.05
Barron, A. R., Domeshek, M., Metz, L. E., Draucker, L. C., & Strong, A. L. (2021). Carbon neutrality should not be the end goal: Lessons for institutional climate action from U.S. higher education. One Earth, 4(9), 1248–1258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.08.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.08.014
Battistini, R., Passarini, F., Marrollo, R., Lantieri, C., Simone, A., & Vignali, V. (2023). How to assess the carbon footprint of a large university? The case study of University of Bologna's multicampus organization. Energies, 16(1), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010166
Clabeaux, R., Carbajales-Dale, M., Ladner, D., & Walker, T. (2020). Assessing the carbon footprint of a university campus using a life cycle assessment approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 273, 122600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122600 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122600
Esor, P. E., Ebu, V. T., Igri, M. R., & Ogar, N. E. (2021). Assessment of carbon footprint of students in Cross River University of Technology, Obubra Campus, Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Sciences, 5(2), 115–119. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2021-0501-602 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2021-0501-602
Fu, J., An, N., Huang, C., Shen, Y., Pan, M., Wang, J., Yao, J., & Yu, Z. (2024). How do people reduce their household carbon footprint? Evidence from carbon emissions and influencing factors in China. Buildings, 14(11), 3451. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113451 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113451
Gupta, U., Kim, Y. G., Lee, S., Tse, J., Lee, H. H. S., Wei, G.-Y., Brooks, D., & Wu, C.-J. (2022). Chasing carbon: The elusive environmental footprint of computing. IEEE Micro, 42(4), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1109/MM.2022.3163226 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MM.2022.3163226
Haseeb, M., Tahir, Z., Batool, S. A., Ahmad, S. A., Kanwal, S., & Majeed, A. (2022). The carbon footprint of a public sector university before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Global NEST Journal, 24(1), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.30955/gnj.004222 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30955/gnj.004222
Hoornweg, D., & Bhada-Tata, P. (2012). What a waste: A global review of solid waste management (Urban Development Series Knowledge Papers No. 15). World Bank. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/17388
Hussain, M., & Malik, R. N. (2015). Managing carbon footprints for sustainable development: Pakistan Tobacco Company, 2009–2011. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.4064.7204
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2006). 2006 IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Cambridge University Press.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). Climate change 2023: Synthesis report. IPCC.
Jadoon, A., Batool, S. A., & Chaudhry, M. N. (2014). Assessment of factors affecting household solid waste generation and its composition in Gulberg Town, Lahore, Pakistan. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 16, 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-013-0146-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-013-0146-5
Kaur, R. R., & Luthra, A. (2023). Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint of Guru Nanak Dev University Campus, Amritsar. Urban India, 43(1), 77–94.
Khan, U. A., & Hussain, A. (2017). Analysis of ecological footprint of rural-urban households in Islamabad (Department of Environmental Economics Working Paper No. 13). Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
Li, X., Tan, H., & Rackes, A. (2015). Carbon footprint analysis of student behavior for a sustainable university campus in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106, 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.11.084 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.11.084
Lozano, R. (2011). The state of sustainability reporting in universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(1), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111098311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111098311
Mariette, J., Blanchard, O., Berné, O., & Ben Ari, T. (2021). An open-source tool to assess the carbon footprint of research. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2101.10124 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.14.426384
Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan. (2022). Pakistan's first biennial update report (BUR-1) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Government of Pakistan.
Mustafa, A., Kazmi, M., Khan, H. R., Qazi, S. A., & Lodi, S. H. (2022). Towards a carbon neutral and sustainable campus: Case study of NED University of Engineering and Technology. Sustainability, 14(2), 794. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020794 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020794
Naderipour, A., Abdul-Malek, Z., Arshad, R. N., Kamyab, H., Chelliapan, S., Ashokkumar, V., & Tavalaei, J. (2021). Assessment of carbon footprint from transportation, electricity, water, and waste generation: Towards utilisation of renewable energy sources. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 23, 183–201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-02017-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-02017-4
National Electric Power Regulatory Authority. (2023). State of industry report 2023. Government of Pakistan.
Paredes-Canencio, K. N., Lasso, A., Castrillon, R., Vidal-Medina, J. R., & Quispe, E. C. (2024). Carbon footprint of higher education institutions. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26, 30239–30272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04596-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04596-4
Sustainable Development Policy Institute. (2022). Annual state of renewable energy report Pakistan 2021. Sustainable Development Policy Institute.
Townsend, J., & Barrett, J. (2015). Exploring the applications of carbon footprinting towards sustainability at a UK university: Reporting and decision making. Journal of Cleaner Production, 107, 164–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.004
United Nations. (2023). The Sustainable Development Goals report 2023: Special edition. United Nations.
United Nations Development Programme Pakistan. (2022). Baseline study of current scenario of plastic waste management in Rahim Yar Khan City. UNDP Pakistan.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Emission factors for greenhouse gas inventories. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
University of Turku. (2020, January 24). University completed estimate of carbon footprint: Offers important tools for achieving carbon neutrality. https://www.utu.fi/en/news/news/university-completed-estimate-of-carbon-footprint
Valls-Val, K., & Bovea, M. D. (2022). Carbon footprint assessment tool for universities: CO2UNV. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 29, 791–804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.11.020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.11.020
Wiedmann, T., & Minx, J. (2008). A definition of “carbon footprint.” In C. C. Pertsova (Ed.), Ecological economics research trends (pp. 1–11). Nova Science Publishers.
World Resources Institute, & World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (2004). The greenhouse gas protocol: A corporate accounting and reporting standard (Rev. ed.).
Yáñez, P., Sinha, A., & Vásquez, M. (2020). Carbon footprint estimation in a university campus: Evaluation and insights. Sustainability, 12(1), 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010181 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010181
Additional Files
Published
Data Availability Statement
no
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Authors retain the copyright of their published work and grant the journal the right of first publication.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in AgriPaT are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
