Impact of Covid-19 on Italian universities' emissions toward Zero Emissions
The WG Climate Change Workshop entitled "Impact of Covid-19 on Italian Universities' Emissions Toward Zero Emissions" was held on Tuesday, June 22.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE WORKSHOP
The workshop, organized by the WG Climate Change, aimed to be a moment of discussion on the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on universities' emission inventories and their mitigation plans.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has been affecting our planet for more than a year, has forced all countries to commit substantial resources in all economic and civil sectors. All research institutions, primarily universities and campuses, have had to drastically change their activities and services using web resources.
Significant reductions in office staffing (with actual attendance now at about 10 percent of pre-Covid levels) and the requirement for students at all levels to take distance learning classes for most instructional periods has resulted in reductions in emissions from universities and campuses, both in terms of energy consumption and in terms of reduced transportation to and from university sites.
In fact, what has happened, and is still happening today, is a kind of "unintentional" experiment in emission reductions by academic institutions that, for the first time, will allow us to understand what the "baseline" emission level of these institutions is in the absence of students.
An " involuntary experiment" that highlights the real differences in emissions of Italian universities, especially in comparison with previous years. An opportunity then to see how far these reductions will continue over time, and whether action can be taken to further reduce emissions, especially in sectors and services in which no substantial pre-Covid vs Covid difference is observed.
Scientific Coordination: Valter Maggi, Giacomo Magatti (Università Statale di Milano-Bicocca), Stefano Caserini (Politecnico di Milano)
Download the press release- Italian only
Workshop program
10:00-10:15 | Welcome
- A. Malcevschi | Member of the RUS Coordinating Committee - Network of Universities for Sustainable Development
- S. Caserini | RUS WG Climate Change Coordinator
10:15-11:00 | Opening talks
- V. Maggi | Università di Milano-Bicocca: "Introduction to the workshop"
- A. Poggio | RUS WG Energy Coordinator: "Efficient energy management for the decarbonization of Italian universities"
- M. Colleoni | RUS WG Mobility Coordinator: "Transportation emissions and sustainable mobility interventions in Italian universities"
11:00-12:40 | Case studies at Italian universities
- De Santoli L., Lettina F., Manes F., Sebastiani A., Sferra A. | Università di Roma La Sapienza: "2020 before and after: the carbon footprint of Sapienza di Roma"
- S. Caserini, P. Baglione, E. Perotto, G. Messori, S. Tolentino, P. Beria, F. Bovera, R. Komaie, M. Motta | Politecnico di Milano: "The impact of Covid-19 on the CO2 emissions of Politecnico di Milano: methodologies and results"
- E. Sottile | Università di Cagliari: "The Università di Cagliari's "Turnaround Program""
- L. E. Zavanella, M. L. Volta, L. Bettoni, C. Carnevale | Università di Brescia: "Analysis of the impact of smart working on consumption and emissions at Università degli Studi di Brescia during Lockdown 2020"
- M. Acciarri, V. Maggi, G. Magatti | Università di Milano-Bicocca: "Impact of Covid-19 on the emissions of the Università di Milano-Bicocca"
12:40-13:00 | Discussion
Downlowd the program - Italian only
Insights and bibliographical references
Info:
Paola Baglione (Politecnico di Milano), Operational Coordinator of the WG Climate Change: rus-cambiamenticlimatici@polimi.it
