Climate Change Impacts and Trends
2010-11 GHG Emissions
GHG emissions for 07-08 through 10-11
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
As part of the College's commitment to sustainability, Pomona is committed to annually tracking greenhouse gas emissions and to planning mitigation efforts to reduce those emissions. The College's inventory effort contains two groups of emissions - those we take responsibility for and include in our commitments and plans for emissions reduction, and others that we can measure that are associated with campus activity but which are not included in College planning. Energy use - including heating and cooling spaces, lighting, appliances, and many other activities - constitutes the largest part of the campus' greenhouse gas emissions and is the primary focus for reducing emissions.
As part of the College's membership in the American Colleges and Universities Presidents Climate Commitment, the Sustainability Integration Office and PACS maintain emissions reductions goals as part of the Sustainability Action Plan. See Climate Action Plan for more information.
2010-11 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The following emissions occurred in the 2010-11 academic year. All emissions are measured in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (mTCO2e), which is a measure used to compile a variety of greenhouse gases. The table below depicts the emissions described in the first chart, above.
| Source | Emissions (mT) | % of total emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 7,141.0 | 45.0% |
| Natural gas | 5,063.9 | 32.0% |
| Study abroad travel | 1,873.1 | 12.0% |
| College travel (air and road) | 1,181.5 | 8.0% |
| Refrigerants | 329.4 | 2.0% |
| Diesel generators | 78.7 | 1.0% |
| Solid waste | 48.7 | <0.1% |
| Campus fleet | 17.8 | <0.1% |
| Fertilizer use | 3.3 | <0.1% |
| TOTAL | 15,737.4 | |
| Composting offset | -34.6 | |
| NET TOTAL | 15,702.8 |
Additional emissions sources (not included in the College's Climate Action Plan process)
- Annual student commuting to/from campus - 7,265.9 mT
- Staff/faculty commuting - 1,510.4 mT
- Transmission losses - 706.3 mT
- Water use: 227.3 mT
- Paper use: 20.5 mT
Emissions Trends
The following table includes emissions for the 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 years. The second image above graphs these emissions along with those for the 2007-08 year.
| Climate Action Plan Emissions Sources | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | % change 09-10 to 10-11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 7,161.0 | 7,510.1 | 7,141.0 | -5.3% |
| Natural gas | 5,259.2 | 5,567.8 | 5,063.9 | -9.1% |
| Study abroad travel | 1,106.9 | 1,768.6 | 1,873.1 | +5.9% |
| College travel (air and road) | 1,520.8 | 1,331.3 | 1,181.5 | -11.3% |
| Refrigerants | 237.8 | 433.4 | 329.4 | -24.0% |
| Solid waste | 110.2 | 87.4 | 78.7 | -10.0% |
| Campus fleet | 70.6 | 97.5 | 48.7 | -50.1% |
| Diesel generators | 13.4 | 100.0 | 17.8 | -82.2% |
| Fertilizer use | 10.4 | 5.8 | 3.3 | -43.1% |
| TOTAL | 15,490.3 | 16,931.9 | 15,737.4 | -7.0% |
| Other sources | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | % change |
| Annual student commuting to/from campus | 7,035.6 | 6,857.6 | 7,265.9 | +6.0% |
| Staff/faculty commuting | 1,000.3 | 1,405.7 | 1,510.4 | +7.4% |
| Transmission losses | 708.2 | 676.9 | 706.3 | +4.3% |
| Water use | 254.0 | 224.0 | 227.3 | +1.5% |
| Paper use | 160.3 | 121.8 | 20.5 | -83.2% |
| Offsets | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | % change |
| Composting | -10.8 | -11.2 | -34.6 | +208.9% |
| COMPLETE TOTAL | 24,637.9 | 26,206.7 | 25,433.2 |
Progress toward goals for 2020
The following table includes relevant objectives from the College's Sustainability Action Plan.
| Data point | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | 2020 Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas emissions (mTCO2e) | 15,479.5 | 16,931.9 | 15,702.8 | 11,453.0 (26% reduction over 08-09) |