Summary of DUSP's greenhouse gas emissions
Key findings
This website is an evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions from the activities of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. Understanding our emissions will illuminate the most beneficial routes to reducing our impact. Quantifying emissions at the department level provides better guidance for action than school or institute-wide measures.
DUSP's annual activities are responsible for the release of at least 1,100 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. This is equivalent to approximately 5 metric tons per person in the department, or a community of 70 homes. The largest sector of emissions is travel, emitting 412 metric tons (53% of the total). Energy consumed by DUSP's buildings and facilities accounts for 390 metric tons (36%).
Breakdown of emissions from DUSP 1 1. Values given on the pie chart are metric tons of greenhouse gases per year, expressed as the equivalent quantity of carbon dioxide.
All figures presented in this audit are likely to be under estimates and prone to large errors. Some sources of emissions are known but not included. Missing data are likely to be additional emissions rather than unexpected reductions - so current emissions of 1,100 metric tons should be taken as a baseline.
Next steps: Further work is required to create a better estimate of emissions, and make recommendations for change on the basis of this evidence. Auditing greenhouse gas emissions should be part of regular department processes.
Extensive findings and methodology details are given in the rest of this site. See About this website for details or jump in from any link on the left.