Noticias

Universidad del Norte, through the Department of Environmental Sustainability, recently joined the National Carbon Neutrality Program, led by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, an agreement of wills to achieve the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and counteract the effects of climate change, joining the efforts of different companies in the construction of sustainable growth.

“The Environmental Sustainability Directorate has established strategic lines related to climate change mitigation and within that strategy there is a very special chapter referring to the identification of greenhouse gases (GHG) and their measurement, that is, the carbon footprint. of carbon. We were admitted to Group II of the program, which includes organizations that already have an inventory of greenhouse gases and are interested in strengthening their capacities to build their management plan”, says Carlos Humberto Clavijo Fuentes, director of Environmental Sustainability of the Universidad del Norte.

Reaching carbon neutrality means reducing greenhouse gases as much as possible, a product of activities such as deforestation, the use of fossil fuels, waste management, among others. That is why, with this agreement of wills, the National Government seeks to guide public and private organizations in matters of climate change management, enhance their sustainability through the management of GHG emissions in their processes and establish a strategy of recognition addressed to organizations for their management within the framework of the program.

“In 2021 we contracted a consultancy with Icontec to make an inventory of greenhouse gases, that is, to know what our carbon footprint is, what we emit. We did it under the GHG protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol), which is the international standard for it, and it told us that we generated 4836.21 tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020. That is the measurement that we are going to certify”, explains engineer Clavijo.

From its action plan, the university has clear objectives to start reducing its carbon footprint year after year. One of them is the execution of a new energy efficiency and consumption scheme, which would include the construction of a photovoltaic park, with the aim of reducing the university’s electricity consumption emissions to 50%; also the renovation of obsolete lighting systems, the updating of air conditioning systems, established 7 years ago; and work hard on the environmental culture program, called Environmentally, which seeks to make the entire community aware of the rational use of energy.

“The mere fact of turning off the light of a room that is not being used is important or of a computer, but also the management of waste, which is essential, because that impact is decisive in reducing the carbon footprint. We have an action plan within our strategy and development plan, but we will also see what are the proposals of the other companies that are part of the national program and how we are moving forward together, because to achieve the 2050 goal, a great national coverage is necessary. ”, concludes Clavijo Fuentes.

https://www.uninorte.edu.co/web/grupo-prensa/noticia?articleId=17225470&groupId=73923