Greenhouse gases (温室气体) include gases such as carbon di氧化, water vapor甲烷和氮气 氧化. Solar radiation (sunlight) is absorbed by the 地球 and released back into space. 然而大气中的温室气体吸收能量正试图离开并辐射回 地球. 更多的能量gy is reabsorbed than is released; excess heat is prevented from leaving the atmosphere. 这种不平衡导致了全球变暖. 人类活动的排放是 increasing the amount of 温室气体 in the atmosphere, which is exacerbating global 气候变暖. 温室气体 are measured in metric tonnes of carbon di氧化 equivalent, or MTCO2E.

所有的温室气体都有差异不同的全球 变暖潜势(GWP). 这是热量 absorbed by each gas in the atmosphere; the higher GWP 气体越多，它就越会加剧全球的恶化 气候变暖. Methane is 28 times as potent as carbon di氧化 and nitrous 氧化 is 265 times 比二氧化碳更有效(IPCC). 排放的测量单位，MTCO2E， scales methane and nitrous 氧化 emissions to their carbon di氧化-equivalent emissions so that 所有的排放都是以碳为单位的.

科罗拉多大学 keeps track of GHG emissions by sorting them into categories based on their source. 这些被称为“作用域”:

• Scope 1 - Direct Institutional: Scope 1 emissions measure direct emissions from sources that are owned and/or operated by 科罗拉多大学. 这包括用于取暖的天然气, 汽油, 及为中办车队提供柴油, 还有化肥和制冷剂.
• Scope 2 - Indirect Institutional: Scope 2 emissions measure indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity.
• Scope 3 - Indirect Behavioral: Scope 3 emissions are related to behavioral choices. CC选择了衡量海外留学的排放量, 教职工通勤, 学生往返于家中, 由赌博正规的十大网站支付的商务旅行费用, 固体废物及废水, 纸的使用, 和T&D损失. These choices reflect CC's commitment to addressing and changing the behavioral patterns that drive indirect emissions.

2020年1月1日，科罗拉多大学正式成为碳中和机构. According to the Natural History Museum of the UK, “a person, company美国或国家是碳中和的 if they balance the carbon di氧化 they release into the atmosphere through their everyday activities with the amount they absorb or remove from the atmosphere. 这也被称为 net zero carbon emissions or net zero carbon because overall no carbon di氧化 is added to 大气”(NHM). CC’s status as a carbon-neutral institution does not mean that the college 并的T产生碳排放. 任何由CC产生的总碳排放量都是 由碳平衡由学院购买.

今年’s technical report is the first to fully account for carbon neutrality. 重要的是 请注意20财年 greenhouse gas inventory occurred across the fiscal 一年,而 CC reached carbon neutrality at the beginning of the calendar 一年. 这意味着碳中和 在排放报告期内达到了一半. 在那一年的报告中， 科罗拉多大学 appears to be “half” carbon-neutral because ofFsets只能应用于 2020年1月1日起的排放. 最后的 一年’s  (FY21) and this 一年's data (FY22) fully capture 科罗拉多州 达到了碳中和.