# Towards a Climate-Neutral Campus: Carbon Footprint Assessment in Higher Education Institutions
## 5 Discussion
### The Carbon Footprint as a Tool for EU's 100 Climate-Neutral Cities Mission  
As part of the ambitious European Union's 100 Climate-Neutral Cities Mission, cities across Europe are striving to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2030. This ambitious goal necessitates a comprehensive reduction of their CF to zero. To contribute to this vital initiative, it is imperative for public institutions, and indeed all organizations and individuals, to conduct thorough assessments of their CFs and establish ambitious targets for emissions reduction for several reasons:  
1. Baseline Assessment: A comprehensive CF assessment offers a snapshot of a city's current emissions, revealing the primary sources that contribute most significantly to its environmental impact. 2. Prioritization of Actions: Armed with a detailed CF analysis, policymakers can strategically prioritize interventions that will deliver the most substantial reductions in emissions, ensuring that efforts are focused on areas with the greatest potential for positive change. 3. Monitoring Progress: Regular CF assessments serve as invaluable tools for monitoring progress toward climate neutrality. Tracking changes in emissions over time, cities can identify areas where efforts are bearing fruit and where additional action is required to stay on course. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**University**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Technical University**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**University of Oulu**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Umwelt-Campus**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**University of the**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**De Montfort**} \\  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**of Cluj-Napoca**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Birkenfeld**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Basque Country**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**University**} \\  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**(TUCN)**} & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**(UCB)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**(UPV/EHU)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**(DMU)**} \\ \hline
**Country** & Romania & Finland & Germany & Spain & United Kingdom \\ \hline
**Climate zone** & \begin{tabular}{c} Humid continental \\ climate (Dfb) \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} Continental subarctic \\ climate (Dfc) \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} Humid continental \\ climate (Dfb) \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} Humid temperate \\ oceanic climate (Cfb) \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} Humid temperate \\ oceanic climate (Cfb) \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline
**Year of reference** & 2022 & 2019 & 2017 & 2016 & 2009 \\ \hline
**Constructed area** & & & & \\
**[m\({}^{2}\)]** & 238,678.0 & 153,413.0 & 24,268.0 & 727,727.0 & 128,215.0 \\ \hline
**Students, academia** & & & & & \\
**and staff** & 19,722.0 & 16,900.0 & 2731.0 & 45,306.0 & 25,580.0 \\ \hline
**Scope 1 + 2 + 3** emissions** & 7445.1 & 19,072.0 & 3021.4 & 55,307.0 & 51,080.0 \\
**[ICO\({}_{2}\)e/year]** & & & & & \\ \hline
**Scope 3** & & & & & \\
**[\% of the total emissions]** & 28.3 & 57.69 & 90 & 60.7 & 67 \\ \hline
**Emission per square** & & & & & \\
**meter [ICO\({}_{2}\)e/m\({}^{2}\)]** & 0.03 & 0.12 & 0.12 & 0.08 & 0.39 \\ \hline
**Emission per person** & & & & & \\
**[ICO\({}_{2}\)e/person]** & 0.37 & 1.13 & 1.12 & 1.22 & 1.99 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Benchmarking of HEIs. Public Engagement: A transparent and accessible CF can be a powerful tool for fostering public engagement in climate action. Understanding their individual and collective carbon footprints, citizens can become more invested in sustainability efforts and actively participate in creating a more environmentally responsible future. * Policy Development: A robust CF analysis provides policymakers with the data-driven insights necessary to develop effective climate policies and regulations. Identifying the key drivers of emissions, policymakers can design targeted interventions that address the root causes of the problem, ensuring that climate action is both efficient and effective. Carbon footprint analysis is a valuable tool for the EU's 100 Climate-Neutral Cities Mission.