气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities

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DOI	10.1088/1748-9326/ab70bf
	Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities
	Macdonald G.K.; Talbot J.; Moore T.R.; Arsenault J.; McCourt S.; Goertzen A.; Kessler-Nadeau M.; Manaugh K.; Maranger R.; Robinson B.E.
发表日期	2020
ISSN	17489318
卷号	15 期号:4
英文摘要	Excess reactive nitrogen (N) is linked to a myriad of environmental problems that carry large social costs. Nitrogen footprint tools can help institutions understand how their direct and indirect activities are associated with N release to the environment through energy use, food, and transportation. However, little is known about how geographic context shapes the environmental footprints of institutions. Defining the system boundaries over which institutions are responsible and able to control individual drivers of N footprints is also a challenge. Here, we compare and contrast the circa 2017 N footprints for two research intensive universities located in Montréal, Canada, with a combined full-time equivalent campus population of ∼83 000. Our estimate of McGill University's N footprint (121.2 t N yr-1) is 48% greater than Université de Montréal's (74.1 t N yr-1), which is also reflected on a per capita basis (3.3 and 1.6 kg N capita-1 yr-1, respectively). Key institutional factors that explain the differences include McGill's larger residential and international student populations, research farm, and characteristics of its on-campus fuel use. We use a series of counterfactual scenarios to test how shared urban geographic context factors lead to an effective reduction of the N footprints at both universities: the relatively small direct role of both institutions in food intake on campus (29%-68% reduction compared to a counterfactual scenario), energy from hydroelectricity (17%-21% reduction), and minimal car commuting by students (2%-3% reduction). In contrast, the near-zero N removal from the municipal wastewater system effectively increases the N footprints (11%-13% increase compared to a modest N removal and offset scenario). Our findings suggest that a shared geographic context of a dense city with plentiful off-campus housing, food options, and access to hydroelectricity shapes the absolute N footprints of Montréal's two main universities more than the divergent institutional characteristics that influence their relative N footprints. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Energy utilization; Housing; Hydroelectric power; Nitrogen; Environmental footprints; Environmental problems; Full time equivalents; Institutional factors; International students; Municipal wastewaters; Nitrogen footprints; Research intensive universities; Chemical contamination
来源期刊	Environmental Research Letters
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/154051
作者单位	Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada; Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, Canada; McGill School of Environment, McGill University, Canada; Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Canada
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Macdonald G.K.,Talbot J.,Moore T.R.,et al. Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities[J],2020,15(4).
APA	Macdonald G.K..,Talbot J..,Moore T.R..,Arsenault J..,McCourt S..,...&Robinson B.E..(2020).Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities.Environmental Research Letters,15(4).
MLA	Macdonald G.K.,et al."Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities".Environmental Research Letters 15.4(2020).