Greenhouse Gas Inventory
"The Greenhouse Gas Inventory creates an opportunity for the campus community to get involved in helping to set directions for campus environmental programs and to lessen our environmental impact."
--
Jack Colby - Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities Operations and Sustainability Officer
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.”
--
IPCC Assessment Report 4 – Synthesis Report 2007
BACKGROUND
The
Greenhouse Effect was developed from experiments by Joseph Fourier and John Tyndal in 1827 and 1861, respectively. These experiments state that the atmosphere allows solar radiation in with little change and gases, like water vapor and carbon dioxide, absorb thermal radiation thereby
increasing the Earth’s atmospheric temperature.
As indicated in
this figure, the global average temperature and the global average sea level have increased since the 1800’s, while Northern Hemisphere snow cover has decreased.
This graph illustrates the changes in Greenhouse Gases from years 0 to 2005, and it also indicates that the major changes started to occur around 1750, which corresponds with the Industrial Revolution.
To this endeavor,
194 of 196 members of the United Nations have adopted the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Since 1997 84 countries have
ratified the Kyoto Protocol. These protocols are designed to improve the atmosphere and reduce the current global warming trend. In acknowledging this situation many universities developed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which was signed by North Carolina State University in the Spring of 2008.
We invite you to view our 2008 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, a first of it's kind for the University. It is going to take the commitment of the entire campus community to accomplish this goal and we welcome any and all suggestions. However, we would encourage you to get involved in helping to develop solutions to our unique set of problems. You can email us above, join our list serv or submit a suggestion.
Forward to
Climate Action Plan!
Return to
Climate Impact
View NC State's
2008 GHG Inventory
