# Towards a Climate-Neutral Campus: Carbon Footprint Assessment in Higher Education Institutions
## 5 Discussion
### TUCN's Carbon Footprint Analysis  
As the previous results demonstrate, a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment for HEI necessitates analysis extending across multiple years. The inherent operational variability within HEIs, including activities such as building renovations and waste generation, can exert a significant influence on single-year assessments, as illustrated by the data presented in Table 1. While the initial carbon emissions associated with infrastructure improvements may appear substantial, these investments frequently result in significant long-term reductions in energy consumption and waste generation.  
The university's 2022 carbon footprint included 4668.05 tCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/year from Scope 1 and 718.6 tCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/year from Scope 2. By 2023, these had risen to 4836.76 tCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/year (Scope 1) and to 769.7 tCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/year (Scope 2). These increases are relatively modest; however, they underscore the necessity of intensified efforts to achieve significant and sustained reductions in the university's environmental impact. Despite TUCN's demonstrable commitment to sustainability, as evidenced by the significant building renovation projects initiated in 2020 and beyond, the persistent preponderance of Scope 1 emissions necessitates that further measures are taken. This involves a detailed evaluation of individual building energy performance, including assessments of necessary renovations (e.g., insulation upgrades and HVAC system replacements) and an analysis of the efficacy of implemented energy-saving policies and technologies (e.g., LED lighting and building management systems). Such evaluations can identify opportunities for further improvements, leading to both reduced emissions and lower operating costs.  
While this study was unable to include the baseline year of 2018 due to insufficient Scope 3 data, this would have provided a crucial benchmark for measuring progress towards the university's ambitious goal of achieving a climate-neutral campus. Figure 6 offers a comparative analysis of Scope 1 and 2 emissions for the years 2018, 2022, and 2023.  
As illustrated in Figure 6, Scope 1 emissions experienced a notable 12.67% decline from 2018 to 2022, corresponding to a decrease from 22 kgCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/m\({}^{2}\) to 19.5 kgCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\)/m\({}^{2}\), representing a significant improvement in the university's direct emissions profile. This decline suggests the successful implementation of energy-efficient measures like building insulation, window replacements, and more efficient heating systems. However, a slight increase of 3.6% was observed from 2022 to 2023. This small increase can be attributed to  
Figure 6: Benchmarking of TUCN’s emissions by Scope 1 and 2 in tCO\({}_{\text{2e}}\).  
the recent completion and commissioning of several building renovations. This suggests that the increased energy consumption associated with these newly renovated spaces, with full HVAC technical systems inexistent before, is the primary factor driving the rise in emissions.  
Scope 2 emissions experienced a substantial decline from 7 kgCO2e/m2 in 2018 to 2.2 kgCO2e/m2 in 2022, representing a remarkable 67.8% reduction. The significant decrease can be primarily attributed to Romania's substantial investments in the energy sector. The share of renewables in the country's energy mix has increased, resulting in lower electricity emission factors. In addition to the broader national trends, TUCN's proactive implementation of energy-saving measures, including LED lamps and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMSs), has played a pivotal role in reducing its Scope 2 emissions.