ABSTRACT

Abstract

Climate Change is one of the most important threats in the world today and it is driven by the human-induced build-up of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. Despite worldwide policy efforts from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, global emissions of GHG have continued to steadily increase over the past decade. Against this backdrop, many higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world began to engage in sustainable practices implementing green initiatives on their campuses. Using the waste disposal and the associated GHG emissions data from the academic community, this study describes how HEIs can assume a leadership role in climate mitigation through the implementation of a carbon pricing initiative. Specifically, this study estimates the economic costs of carbon emissions from waste and conceptualizes how revenues generated from carbon pricing can be rechanneled to support carbon reduction efforts in HEIs. By this approach, HEIs not only create incentives for campus users such as students and employees to choose cleaner options but also be able to understand their own carbon footprint and adjust strategy accordingly. While carbon pricing has long been regarded as an alternative approach to tackle carbon pollution, it has not been much discussed in the area of waste management. In this regard, this study attempted to fill this research gap by finding emission reduction potentials in waste management using carbon pricing as a mechanism.

摘要

抽象的

气候变化是当今世界上最重要的威胁之一，它是由人为引起的大气中温室气体 (GHG) 积聚所驱动的。尽管从《京都议定书》到《巴黎协定》的全球政策努力，但全球温室气体排放量在过去十年中继续稳步增长。在此背景下，世界各地的许多高等教育机构 (HEI) 开始参与可持续实践，在校园内实施绿色倡议。本研究使用来自学术界的废物处理和相关温室气体排放数据，描述了高等教育机构如何通过实施碳定价计划在减缓气候变化方面发挥领导作用。具体来说，本研究估算了废弃物碳排放的经济成本，并概念化了如何将碳定价产生的收入重新用于支持高等教育机构的碳减排工作。通过这种方法，高校不仅可以激励学生和员工等校园用户选择更清洁的选择，而且还能够了解自己的碳足迹并相应地调整策略。尽管长期以来，碳定价一直被视为解决碳污染的替代方法，但在废物管理领域并没有太多讨论。在这方面，本研究试图通过使用碳定价作为机制寻找废物管理中的减排潜力来填补这一研究空白。高校不仅可以激励学生和员工等校园用户选择更清洁的选择，而且还能够了解自己的碳足迹并相应地调整策略。尽管长期以来，碳定价一直被视为解决碳污染的替代方法，但在废物管理领域并没有太多讨论。在这方面，本研究试图通过使用碳定价作为机制寻找废物管理中的减排潜力来填补这一研究空白。高校不仅可以激励学生和员工等校园用户选择更清洁的选择，而且还能够了解自己的碳足迹并相应地调整策略。尽管长期以来，碳定价一直被视为解决碳污染的替代方法，但在废物管理领域并没有太多讨论。在这方面，本研究试图通过使用碳定价作为机制寻找废物管理中的减排潜力来填补这一研究空白。