Research Tips with Dr. Juliana

  Nigerian commercial building with a diesel generator, electricity meter and rooftop solar panels, illustrating carbon footprint measurement and energy use. By Dr Juliana Philip Ndalnamu Research Tips with Dr. Juliana Imagine a hotel announcing that it will reduce its carbon footprint by 30% over three years. It sounds ambitious, but can management explain how much greenhouse gas the hotel currently emits? Without a credible baseline, it is difficult to measure progress. Last week’s Sustainability Monday article explained Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. The next step is learning how to estimate them using activity data and emission factors. This guide introduces the basic methods and shows how Nigerian businesses can begin organising their data. 1. What is activity data? Activity data is a measurable record of an activity that causes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It tells an organisation how much fuel, electricity, material or service it used during a defined repo...

  Sustainability Monday Carbon Footprint Measurement: The Foundation of Credible Net-Zero Targets From climate ambition to measurable action Last week, we examined what Nigeria needs to do to move from its net-zero commitment toward meaningful climate action. But there is an important question that comes before setting ambitious reduction targets: How can an organisation reduce its emissions if it does not first know how much it is emitting? This is where carbon footprint measurement becomes fundamental. A net-zero target may sound ambitious and impressive, but a credible transition to net zero requires more than announcing a target year. Organisations need to understand their current emissions, identify the major sources, establish a baseline, and then determine where meaningful reductions can be achieved. What Is a Carbon Footprint? A carbon footprint is an estimat...

By Dr. Juliana Philip Ndalnamu Walk into almost any hotel today and you'll find the same laminated card propped against the bathroom mirror: "Help us save the planet, reuse your towel." It's a familiar ritual of modern travel, repeated in thousands of properties across the world. And it feels good. Guests nod along, hotels print it on their websites and everyone leaves believing something meaningful just happened for the environment. But here's the uncomfortable truth I've arrived at after years of researching sustainable hospitality: towel reuse is not sustainability. It's theatre. What My Research Has Revealed Over the past few years, my research has focused on understanding and estimating the environmental impacts of hospitality operations within the Nigerian context. Through my work on carbon footprint assessments in hotels, one finding has consistently emerged: The greatest environmental impacts are rarely the most visible ones. While many ho...