Carbon-Neutral Academic Activities in Argentina: Can it become feasible?

Abstract

The article study some current worldwide academic projects devoted to mitigate the carbon footprint produced by a specific academic activity. Based on these experiences, the authors analyze different alternatives to create the first nearly carbon-neutral academic activity ever reported in Argentina. The first step consists on estimating the amount of CO2 equivalent produced by the academic activity under analysis: Postgraduate course on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies in Universidad Nacional de Rafaela, Argentina. Then, two potential mitigation projects (installation of PV system and urban forestation) are assessed taking into account the feasibility due to the region where the university is located. The next step is the quantification of the CO2 equivalent mitigated by each project. Finally, the strategy outlined to mitigate the total carbon footprint produced by the postgraduate course is presented.