Operational Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory of a University Campus in Brazil

ABSTRACT Climate change mitigation requires robust greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting frameworks capable of identifying major emission sources within institutional systems. Higher education institutions represent complex operational environments characterized by substantial energy demand, transportation activities, and material consumption, all of which contribute to measurable greenhouse gas emissions. This study developed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the Instituto Federal Goiano—Rio Verde Campus (Brazil) using institutional activity data for the year 2022. The assessment adopted a gate‐to‐gate system boundary and included electricity consumption, fossil fuel use by the institutional fleet, and solid waste generation. Emissions were quantified using internationally recognized emission factors and expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO 2 ‐eq). In addition, an exploratory assessment of vegetation carbon sequestration was conducted to evaluate the mitigation potential of campus green areas.Total verified emissions reached approximately 311.68 Mg CO 2 ‐eq year − 1 . Diesel consumption represented the largest contribution (165.34 Mg CO 2 ‐eq year − 1 ), followed by solid waste disposal (74.90 Mg CO 2 ‐eq year − 1 ), electricity consumption (47.08 Mg CO 2 ‐eq year − 1 ), and gasoline use (24.36 Mg CO 2 ‐eq year − 1 ). The estimated annual carbon sequestration potential of campus vegetation reached approximately 239.39 Mg CO 2 year − 1 , indicating that existing green infrastructure may offset a substantial proportion of the emissions generated by campus activities, although this does not constitute a formal carbon neutrality assessment. The results identify fossil fuel consumption, waste management, and electricity demand as the principal operational emission hotspots within the campus system. The proposed inventory framework provides a transparent and reproducible methodological basis for institutional carbon management and contributes to advancing greenhouse gas accounting practices in higher education environments, particularly in developing countries where campus‐scale inventories remain limited.