GHG Emissions Mitigation

Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions have been directly reduced and mitigated by approximately 80% since its peak emissions level in 2011. With the completion of Stanford’s second solar generation station in early 2022, the university procures 100% renewable electricity, which brought emissions reductions from 68% to 80% below peak levels. Efficiency gains from high-performing buildings and numerous retrofit programs will continue to yield emissions reductions in the years to come.

Greenhouse gas emissions fall into three categories:

• Scope 1: direct on-premise fossil fuel combustion and other direct greenhouse gas emissions
• Scope 2: off-premise emissions from purchased grid electricity
• Scope 3: emissions from sources that occur as a result of an institution’s operations but are from sources not owned or directly controlled by the institution

Scopes 1 & 2 

View Annual Scopes 1 & 2 GHG Dashboard

Stanford has reported its official Scope 1 and 2 emissions to The Climate Registry (TCR)¹, a non-profit emissions registry for North America, since 2006. These emissions follow TCR's General Reporting Protocol, are third-party verified, and are reported publicly on TCR's website. The inventory's geographic boundary includes the Stanford main campus, other owned facilities like Stanford Redwood City, and leased spaces. The boundary does not include emissions from Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) or SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, since they are both distinct organizations that do not fall under the university's operational control. 

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions that are influenced by the university's operations but not directly emitted by the university. There are fifteen categories of scope 3 emissions, as defined in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Stanford tracks progress on eight of the fifteen categories against a 2019 baseline.

¹_{In 2001, the State of California created the nonprofit California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) to facilitate the voluntary accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions within the state. CCAR stopped collecting emissions inventories in 2010 and transitioned its membership to TCR. Stanford joined the CCAR in 2006 and used its protocol to prepare and file its GHG emission inventories through 2009. In 2010, Stanford transitioned to TCR's protocol for its emissions inventory.}