Climate Change Response Strategies

In response to global climate change and in line with the direction of the national energy and emissions reduction policy, NUK signed “2050 Net Zero Emissions" declaration and goal in 2022 Sustainability Week. In addition to strengthening the concept of a sustainable university and the mutual support of curriculum, teaching, and administrative systems to implement campus climate action, specific details are being implemented in the 2023-2026 mid-term plan. Therefore, in 2024, the response strategy was to review the current status of the sustainable campus through a detailed inventory, which are divided into two major parts, namely the campus environment and the SDGs related courses.

Construct Sustainable Campus Environment 

The University is committed to practicing the SDGs spirit and a green university with friendly campus. Therefore, the current environmental inventory of the campus can be divided into external feedback, energy equipment, smart monitoring system, and water-saving facilities. The description is as follows

1. External feedback

     After many years of effort, the school has been recognized with the Green Building Label, the Local National Important Wetlands, and awards for quality of construction in the areas of buildings, health, and animal and plant habitats. We have also participated in national and international competitions to learn what we can do to strengthen and learn from other schools’ efforts on sustainability issues. The following is a description of the school.

Participate in the Sustainability Report and participate in judging:

Starting from 2019, we have published a sustainability report for the previous year's sustainability environment, and so far, we have received 3 gold and 1 silver medals in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting category of the TCSA Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award, and the sustainability report to be published in 2024 is posted on the university's website (https://sustainability.nuk.edu.tw/#_1)，and has been recognized by TCSA Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award in the category of Sustainability Reporting with Bronze Medal.

Participation in UI Green Metric World University Rankings:

The results of the 2024 UI Green Metric World University  Ranking were announced on December 18, 2024. 1,477 institutions from 95 countries participated in the competition, and we were ranked 278th, which is in the top 18% of the world's universities. Compared to 2023, when 1,183 institutions participated in the competition and the University was ranked 285 out of 24% of the world's universities, this is a significant improvement. It also proves that our efforts and direction in promoting green and sustainable campuses have been recognized. Among them, our infrastructure and transportation projects are the best. The following is a description.

2.Energy Equipment:

In line with the school's policy of creating green energy, the school has inventoried the available roofs of the school to install solar photovoltaic panels, each with 2,142.920kWp, including bartering and applying for green energy certificates.

3.Build a Smart Power Monitoring System: EMS Central Power Management System

Smart Power Consumption Framework: All 12 buildings in the university are equipped with smart digital meters to monitor the total power consumption, air-conditioning power consumption, and power consumption in some areas of the buildings. The EMS central power management system collects, records, calculates, and analyzes data from digital meters across the campus, and further manages the loading and unloading of central air conditioners and stand-alone air conditioners in each building.

 

Effectiveness of Energy Saving Measures

In order to implement campus energy management and energy saving measures, energy saving strategies such as energy saving control management, retirement and replacement of power-consuming equipment, and utilization of renewable energy, as well as various action plans such as centralized power monitoring system, retirement and replacement of old air-conditioning system, and solar power system, have been formulated. From 2015 to 2024, the electricity saving rate reached 11.84%, and the EUI indicator will be reduced from 58.8 to 31.4.

 

Disaster Prevention and Relief Planning in Cooperation with the Government

1.Building Disaster-Proof Communities and Promoting Resilient Cities

The project is hosted by Prof. Ming-hao Wu of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who dedicates himself to promoting resilient community disaster prevention by utilizing his professionalism and influence. The goal of the project is to support the Kaohsiung City Government in conducting scientific research on disaster prevention and relief, analyzing potential areas for various types of disasters, formulating disaster prevention and relief plans, implementing and integrating resources, counseling the community to prevent disasters on their own, and planning for micro-storage pools. The project is aimed at realizing “SDG11 Sustainable Cities" and "SDG13 Climate Action" through on-site investigations and integrating various resources in the community. Students are led to participate in disaster prevention and rescue drills and autonomous disaster prevention community observation activities to promote the goal of "SDG4 Education Quality"; and the Kaohsiung City Government's Bureau of Water Resources co-organized educational training and drills on new temporary flood prevention equipment, and students who passed the test obtained the qualification of Ministry of the Interior's Disaster Prevention Officer. It improves the capacity of the community's disaster prevention and rescue organization and helps the community operate as a resilient community.

2.Disaster Awareness Courses

Based on the types of disasters that each community is dealing with, and in conjunction with each type of disaster management, the courses are planned and designed for students and community residents. Through “Special Theory of Urban Disaster Prevention", "Disaster Prevention Officer Training Course", "Application of GIS in Resilient Cities", "Disaster Prevention Technology", and "Intelligent Disaster Prevention Workshops", students can participate in the course activities; during the counseling period at the community sites, education and training or publicity will be conducted according to the needs of each community's disaster management, teaching and learning of disaster prevention mapping, disaster prevention and rescue drill planning, and the writing of disaster prevention and rescue plans for resilient communities, so that the courses can be localized to train disaster prevention personnel and enhance the professional knowledge of residents in the community on disaster prevention and rescue, and to assist the community in promoting disaster prevention in response to the UN's sustainable development goals such as SDG4 Quality Education, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG13 Climate Action in order to improve the capacity of the community's disaster prevention and rescue organization and assist the community in developing into a resilient community.

 

Carbon Neutral Commitments and Emission Reduction Programs

"As a citizen of the world, everyone has the responsibility to slow down the pace of global climate change and avoid damaging the natural environment." At the opening ceremony of the 2022 Sustainability Week, the President of the University signed “ Net Zero 2050". NUK follows the national policy of actively linking industries and society, cooperates with the government to promote energy transformation, and simultaneously takes stock of the six major directions of "Green University", "Campus Carbon Neutrality", "Low-Carbon Transportation", "Green Building", "Zero Waste and Low-Carbon Diet", and "Citizen Participation".

In response to global climate action, the Taiwan 2050 Net Zero Carbon Emission Pathway Plan, and the cultivation of globally sustainable human resources, NUK has been promoting campus climate action since 2022 from the perspectives of campus environmental organization and regulations, environmental management, energy-saving strategies, and environmental education.

The University has integrated UN Sustainable Development Goals into the organization and operation of the University, and has formulated a carbon neutral plan, which aims to utilize the University's professional knowledge and scientific research capabilities to actively reduce the environmental carbon footprint of the campus, and to gradually achieve carbon neutrality of the campus. Specific practices are described below:

Action Plan 1: Campus Carbon Inventory

1.Description of Current Status: At the opening ceremony of the Sustainable Development Week on May 23, 2022, the President of the University announced and signed “2050 Net Zero Carbon Emissions" declaration, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality and move towards the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 gradually.

2.Implementation Strategies and Practices: In order to understand the carbon emissions of the school, a carbon inventory is expected to be conducted from 2023 to 2026 to calculate the greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by the school in all aspects of administration, teaching, research, and student learning, so as to further develop appropriate measures to reduce the emissions of the school.

Carbon inventory will be conducted annually and the results of the inventory will be made public.

Setting up emission reduction measures based on the results of inventory and verification to gradually move towards carbon neutrality (SDG 7, SDG 13)

Implementation results in 2024:

The school conducted the first 2022 GHG inventory in 2023 and therefore set 2022 as the base year for the inventory. In 2024, the school continued to conduct the 2023 GHG inventory.

 

Inventory of GHG Emissions 2023
GHG Inventory Info Collection Period: 1/1 -12/31/2023
GHG Inventory Category		GHG Emission Source	MTCO2e/Yr
Category 1, Direct GHG Emissions and Removals		Total	149.7564
1.1	Stationary Combustion	Emergency generator (diesel)	9.6745
1.2	Mobile Combustion	Public Transportation Vehicle (Gasoline & Diesel)	12.1790
1.3	Industrial process emissions (direct process emissions from school operations)	Lab alcohol for Combustion (Methanol, Ethanol, Others), Lab  Specific Gas Cylinders (CO2, N2O, Gas, Acetylene), Lawnmowers (Diesel)	2.4904
1.4	Fugitive emissions	Refrigerant (air conditioning, refrigeration & freezer equipment, bus air conditioning), septic tanks, fire extinguishers (dry powder, CO2, foam extinguishers)	125.4125
1.5	Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Emissions	Nil	0.0000
Category 2. Input energy indirect GHGe		Total	5,776.3739
2.1	Indirect emissions from imported electricity, including GHGe from the production and consumption of imported electricity by the related organization.	School Electricity - Purchased Electricity	5,776.3739
2.2	Indirect emissions from energy inputs, incl. GHGe from energy consumption (steam, heat, cooling and compressed air) of the organization's production through the physical network, except for emissions from electricity.	nil	0.0000
Category 3. Indirect GHGe from transportation		Total	562.2858
3.3	Emissions from employee commuting	Employee commuting	249.4679
3.5	Emissions from business or employee travel and transportation	Faculty/staff/student travel (by high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway, air, and MRT only)	312.8179
Category 4. GHGe between products used by the organization		Total	1,291.3295
4.1 The organization purchases GHGe from raw material extraction, manufacturing and processing. 4.3 Disposal of emissions from solid and liquid wastes depend on the characteristics of the waste and its treatment. Typical treatment types are landfill, incineration, biological treatment or recycling processes.
Category 5. Indirect GHGe derived from products of user organization 5.2 Emissions from downstream leased assets		Total	362.9148
Total			8,142.660
* The latest version of the announced GWP value is the IPCC 6th Assessment Report (2021), so the IPCC 6th Assessment Report (2021) is used.

 

Action Plan 2: Campus Climate Action

Description of Current Status:

1. Global climate change is a critical issue for mankind, and we are a member of the Green University and one of the participants in global environmental protection. In 2019-2020, the University received funding from the Architectural Research Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and the Kaohsiung City Government to renovate the student dormitories into smart-energy residences, and to install a smart-energy management system and a centralized power monitoring system. For electricity usage, digital meters are installed in each building on campus to collect data on electricity usage in each building, and a "Power-BI" webpage has been built to provide students and faculty with information on electricity usage and remind them to conserve energy in order to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens of the earth.

2.In addition to the improvement of hardware and equipment, the environmental regulations and management of the University should also be included in climate issues. In response to the SDGs: 6, 13, 15 and UI Green Metric World University Rankings, the University intends to take stock of the current status of environmental and climate-related issues and regulations during 2023-2026, and to examine the potential risks in management in order to take measures to effectively reduce and eliminate them.

Implementation Strategies and Practices

1. The University's Sustainable Climate Change Program, which participates annually in UI Green Metric World University Rankings - Energy Climate Change, Education and Research (SDG 13).

Revise the Chinese and English sustainability reports annually and participate in the evaluation.

Participate in UI Green Metric World University Rankings annually to review annual implementation.

Inventory campus carbon emissions and develop medium- and long-term options for reducing emissions.

Annually review the appropriateness of the school's administrative rules and regulations.

2.Enhance smart power and introduce water management system to participate in UI Green Metric World University Rankings - Water Resources (SDG 6, SDG 15).

Utilize smart power system monitoring to reduce electricity waste year by year.

Water saving installations and water management.

Sewage recycling.

3.Carbon emission

Using 2015 as the base year, the school estimates its own GHG emissions every year to get a complete picture of the current situation of GHG emissions. Total carbon emissions in 2024 was reduced by a total of 16.33% from 2015 levels, mainly due to the implementation of energy-saving measures such as the replacement of old air-conditioners and the use of energy-saving light bulbs.