Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A research group uses GES1point5 to publish its annual carbon footprint by category and sets a 30 percent reduction target by 2030.
- Is an instance
A funder mandates a project-level carbon estimate at proposal stage for any grant over 1 million pounds.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A single energy-bill total for an entire campus is not a research-specific footprint.
- Not an instance
A travel-only count ignoring procurement is incomplete.
Editorial commentary
The research carbon footprint is increasingly assessed at multiple levels: an individual project (often required as a climate impact statement in DMPs), a research group, a department, or an institution. It draws on the GHG Protocol's scope 1, 2, and 3 framework, with scope 3 (procurement and travel) usually dominating in research-intensive universities. Tools include the Laboratory Carbon Calculator, the GES1point5 calculator for academic groups, and institutional environmental reports under SECR (UK) and CSRD (EU) regimes.
References
- GHG Protocol Corporate Standard; GES1point5 project (CNRS / Labos1point5).
Also known as
Research GHG footprint · Academic carbon footprint
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Research carbon footprint"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/research-carbon-footprint" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"name": "Research carbon footprint",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/research-carbon-footprint",
"description": "The total greenhouse gas emissions (expressed in CO2-equivalent) attributable to research activity, encompassing direct laboratory energy use, computing, procurement, travel, and end-of-life of research equipment.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/sustainable-research-and-laboratory-operations/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/research-carbon-footprint",
"sameAs": [
"Research GHG footprint",
"Academic carbon footprint"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}







