The development and application of Malaysian University Campus Emission Tool (MUCET) towards creating sustainable campus

Abstract

The practice of unsustainable energy use in the university campus results in continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), a predominant global warming greenhouse gas (GHG). Achieving emission-free campus environment infers the reduction of CO2 emission, through the analysis of the sources, types and the extent of emission on the campus. Existing carbon emission calculators are cumbersome, complex and not easily understood by university administrators and require background knowledge of environmental science to interpret the results. This study investigates the pattern of energy currently in use within Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) main campus with a view to determine the sources of emission of carbon dioxide from operations in the campus. The study identified two types of energy consumption - electricity and transport and five (5) major service demand sectors of energy use. Energy use data were collected from the transport and electricity sectors in the campus, and a prototype carbon calculator called the Malaysian University Campus Emission Tool (MUCET) was developed and applied to determine the extent of emission from each service sector. It was observed that the Teaching and Learning sector constitutes 31% of total carbon emission followed by the Transport sector with 26%. Students‘ hostels has 22%, while the Information and Communication Technology sector and the Administrative and Support Services sectors have 11% and 10% of total CO2 emission respectively. Finally, MUCET can be used for CO2 assessment in other universities to present the emission scenarios as well as facilitate the setting of targets to reduce CO2 emission. In conclusion, the study suggested mitigation strategies such as energy efficiency, behavioural changes and the use of bio-fuels to combat carbon emission in UTM. Also, the need for cooperation and collaboration in terms of emission reduction among Malaysian universities was recommended as a key step to promote university campus energy sustainability.