The University succeeded in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 8% during the period 2018/19 to 2020/21. More specifically, Scope 1 and 2 emissions have reduced by:
- 29% since 2015/16 and
- 6% since 2018/19
The University is therefore in a strong position to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.
GHGs emissions are driving climate change leading to dangerous social, economic, environmental and health impacts. Reducing the emissions we produce, as part of running our busy University, is a critical part of our Strategic Plan – Sustainability.
Net zero means not adding to the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere. Achieving it means reducing emissions as much as possible and balancing out any that remain by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. This is known as offsetting and planting new forests is a well-known example.
Ben Anderson, Principal Research Fellow, School of Engineering, FEPS, says:
“Our emissions are grouped into 3 different Scopes (1, 2 and 3) and they all come under Goal 1 or Goal 2 of our Strategic Plan. Our aim is to achieve net zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030. This means we have to reduce our emissions from heating, hot water, university vehicles, refrigerant leaks and all electricity use as much as possible by 2030. It is unlikely they will ever be completely zero so we will probably have to invest in some form of offsetting to reach net zero in each year after that.”
The information about our emissions is published in the first of our annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reports which is now available from the Goal 2 page of the Sustainability Implementation Group’s website. The link to a detailed technical report is also on the same page and a dashboard showing our emissions trends over time is also available.
The report, which will be published on our sustainability website, will be important in letting the wider University community and external entities, including potential future students, see how we are doing.
If you have any comments, please feel free to post in the Strategic Plan – Sustainability yammer group or contact the team via [email protected].
The Sustainability Implementation Group is working with all parts of our University to help them with the challenge of growing and developing whilst keeping our emissions as low as possible.
