Overall Rating	Platinum
Overall Score	86.26
Liaison	Karen Oberer
Submission Date	Jan. 17, 2024

STARS v2.2

McGill University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.46 / 3.00	Jerome Conraud Energy Manager Facilities Operations & Development, Div. of Univ. Services

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :

Yes

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:

2022_combined_GHG_Inventory_and_detailed_appendix.pdf

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:

The inventory was compiled following guidance of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004), using the location-based Scope 2 methodology detailed within the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance: An amendment to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. It follows the GHG Protocol’s operational control consolidation approach, under which McGill is required to account for 100% of the emissions from operations, facilities, and sources over which it has operational control.

Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004):
https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/standards/ghg-protocol-revised.pdf

GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance: An amendment to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard:
https://ghgprotocol.org/scope_2_guidance

Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:

Yes

A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:

McGill, as with all universities in Quebec, submits annual energy and emissions reports to the Ministry of Higher Education (Le Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur or MES). These reports are "is subject to a specified audit procedure by a practicing professional." This occurs in September of each year. The detailed report submission process can be found in the attached documents below: the MES ENERGY DATA COLLECTION 2022-2023 USER GUIDE (both the original French and translated document).

The University also completes emission inventories annually and report to the federal (NPRI), provincial (IQÉA), and municipal governments for both downtown and Macdonald campuses. The GHG emissions inventory submitted to these agencies can be selected for auditing at their discretion.

Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:

MES_ENERGY_DATA_COLLECTION_2022-2023_USER_GUIDE_FR-EN.pdf

Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:

	Weight in MTCO2e
Stationary combustion	31,500 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions)	2,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:

34,364 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):

	Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity	3,630 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:

3,630 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:

375 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:

	Yes or No	Weight in MTCO2e
Business travel	Yes	3,326 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting	Yes	4,610 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services	No	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods	No	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2	Yes	1,773 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations	No	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources	Yes	479 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:

10,188 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:

The inclusion of relevant Scope 3 emission sources has been decided in conjunction with key stakeholders based on activities that are believed to have significant greenhouse gas impact are most relevant to the University's mission; access to accurate data has also been considered.

By including select Scope 3 emissions in its long-term target, McGill is taking an ambitious approach to carbon neutrality that demonstrates leadership and accountability. The following activities and resulting Scope 3 emissions are included in the CY2022 inventory:
- Electricity and natural gas consumption not included in Scope 1 emissions ("Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2")
- Student, faculty, and staff commuting ("Commuting")
- Directly-financed University-related air travel ("Business travel")
- Travel by the University’s sports teams ("Other sources")
- Travel by the Macdonald Shuttle bus ("Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2")
- Water supply & treatment ("Other sources")
- Power transmission & distribution (T&D) losses occurring between production sites and McGill facilities ("Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2")

Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:

Yes

Annual weight of emissions for::

	Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)	48.32 Metric tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx)	0.21 Metric tons
Carbon monoxide (CO)	22.92 Metric tons
Particulate matter (PM)	0.15 Metric tons
Ozone (O3)	0 Metric tons
Lead (Pb)	0 Metric tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)	0 Metric tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs)	1.06 Metric tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations	1.50 Metric tons

Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:

	Yes or No
Major stationary sources	Yes
Area sources	No
Mobile sources	No
Commuting	No
Off-site electricity production	No

A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:

Emissions are calculated using spreadsheet calculation tools provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada for all emissions from the combustion of natural gas, diesel, and fuel oil on campus. All mandatory pollutant emissions are reported within the NPRI (National Pollutant Release Inventory) and IQÉA (Inventaire Québécois des Émissions Atmosphériques) processes in addition to voluntary reporting of select non-mandatory emissions (those where we do not meet the mandatory reporting threshold).

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):

---

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :

---

Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:

https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/commitments/carbon-neutrality

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The 3,630 MTCO2e of Scope 2 emissions labelled "Imported electricity" actually refers to purchased energy for electricity, steam, hot water, and chilled water.

Past GHG inventories (2015-2021): https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/commitments/carbon-neutrality

Emissions listed under "ozone depleting compounds (ODCs)" are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Emissions listed under "Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations" are volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Air pollutant emissions figures for "major stationary sources" include all major stationary sources, including boilers and back-up generators.

Data source(s) and notes about the submission