Climate crisis: what progress have universities made?

Across the country, universities have stepped up their climate commitments. Not only have many universities committed to the government’s goal of net zero by 2050, but many have shown ambition and leadership by setting much earlier goals of 2030 or 2040.

Recent data gathered from our member universities shows that real progress across a variety of areas.

Universities are showing leadership in the climate crisis by leading by example and sharing information locally, nationally and internationally on how strategy can support the path to net zero.

Strategy and transparency

• 96% of our member universities have a clear, publicly available strategy to reduce carbon emissions.
• 97% have sustainability information openly available on their website.
• 82% report their carbon reduction figures, allowing the public to monitor the progress universities have made so far and assess their future progress.

Net zero

• Between 2021 and 2022, the proportion of our member universities committed to net zero targets under scopes 1 and 2 increased from 61% to 75%.
• Between 2021 and 2022, the proportion of our member universities committed to net zero targets under scope 3 has increased from 53% to 59%.
• Between 2021 and 2022, the proportion of our member universities committed to a reduction in scope 3 emissions has increased from 5% to 6%. 

Earlier this year, our Made at Uni: Climate Action campaign highlighted impactful initiatives and case studies of universities tackling the climate emergency across the country.  

While good progress has been made, we need to go further.

There are complex challenges facing the sector’s journey to decarbonisation that universities and government need to address to make sure we achieve our goals.

Cost

The most immediate challenge facing our members is cost.

Greener options for university buildings, travel and buying goods and services can be expensive in the short-term, making it difficult for universities to prioritise these when funding is restricted. While some green options are cheaper, or save money in the long run, this is not always the case – and these projects have to compete with other immediate demands on finances.

The current cost-of-living crisis, with high inflation and interest rates, rising energy bills and increased financial support for students and staff, has made allocating budgets even more difficult. Universities are often faced with a choice between supporting their current students and staff or redirecting funds into making greener and more financially sustainable choices for the future.

However, investing in green options can bring economic benefits, as well as supporting the journey to net zero. For example, moving to renewable energies can mean universities can support their own energy needs. In this way, going green can ensure institutions improve both their financial and environmental sustainability.

Measuring scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions do not arise directly from the university’s own activities. They are the indirect emissions arising from external goods and services purchased.

This includes international students’ flights as they travel to university, staff commuting, and emissions from external goods and services that universities pay for, such as on-site catering.

The main challenge is that scope 3 emissions are hard to measure, making it difficult for universities to make comparisons with other institutions and to make reduction  plans.

We’re supporting the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC) and the Department for Education as they work to create a standardised emissions reporting framework, which will help universities measure their emissions across the board, including scope 3. 

The government’s new net zero review opens up opportunities for universities to make further progress.

Research and innovation

We know that future innovation is likely to come from researchers and entrepreneurs who are working at or with universities and in partnership with industry. We want to strengthen the higher education sector’s position to ensure that ground-breaking research can continue to thrive.

We welcome the government’s increase of the Higher Education Innovation Fund, and encourage Research England to explore how to support innovation in smaller institutions. This will increase innovation capacity across the sector. We also recommend increasing innovation funding across the whole UK, ensuring that uplifts in England are also reflected in the devolved administrations.

Innovation will be central to combatting the climate emergency, and universities are a key part of the innovation puzzle. We highly value innovation-specific funding that allows universities to focus on this crucial work. Ensuring their potential will support not only innovation in the UK but also international responses, as well as bringing economic advantages.

The need for momentum 

The net zero review asks us to consider what policy ideas can help us to reach our goals. We have submitted a joint response to the call for evidence alongside the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC), GuildHE, the Association of Colleges (AoC) and the Association of University Director of Estates (AUDE). Our response suggests a wide range of ways government can help - including through planning laws, procurement and funding.

As part of our call for the government to work with universities to generate growth and opportunity, we’ve recommended that the government creates enterprise and opportunity hubs across the UK. These shared spaces will help universities, businesses, and local communities to share expertise and collaborate. Through this work, the UK can take advantage of innovative new developments in climate research, generating the momentum we need to tackle this huge challenge.

It’s time to capitalise on this momentum, ensuring that commitments are met and that we are all part of the huge change required to combat the climate emergency.