SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. With the University committed to a 50 percent cut in its carbon emissions by 2030, a new carbon budget is now being launched, issuing a clear task for its operations. The more immediate target for 2024 is a 25 percent reduction in emissions, compared with the year 2019. The Vice-Chancellor’s decision sets out some of the measures previously suggested to meet the commitments in the Climate Framework for Higher Education Institutions.
The task will involve everyone at the University, as all the faculties, the University Library and the central administration, including the national units, will be tasked with achieving a two-stage reduction in emissions of at least:
- 25 percent by 31 Dec 2023 compared with base year 2019,
- 50 percent by 31 Dec 2029 compared with base year 2019.
Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor Mette Sandoff leads the working group that drew up the proposals that have now been confirmed by the Vice-Chancellor’s decision.
“We have a challenging task ahead of us and it is going to affect every part of the University’s operations,” says Mette Sandoff. “With sustainability as one of our most critical focus areas, it is important that GU remains at the forefront on this issue.”
The Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development (GMV) is being drafted in to provide support and guidance along the way. The climate impact survey previously conducted (ref. GU 2019/1598) was used to work out which emission areas to include in the calculations. To help managers to monitor and plan carbon emissions, the working group for the Climate Framework has been tasked with implementing technical system support by July 2022 at the latest.
The decision is the culmination of solid groundwork, workshops and discussions within the Management Council and with the heads of department – an essential approach to ensure that the work can actually be implemented.
“We now have a shared mandate and objective,” says Mette Sandoff. “It is clear that the responsibility now lies with the faculties, the University Library and the central administration, and that the nature of the operation will govern the choice of how to work towards the objective. But support and help are available at a joint level.”
The work on reducing carbon emissions will be integrated with the planning and follow-up process and will be discussed in operational dialogues from this spring semester 2022.
Higher contribution to the climate fund
The supporting documents for the decision also included a review of the climate fund for air travel, which recommended an increase in the levy from SEK 118 to SEK 400 per flight. This decision will be taken separately in the near future.
The decision also tasks the GMV with investigating, in 2022, how achieving the Government’s goal of climate neutrality by 2045 will affect the University.
University signed up in 2019
September 2019 saw the University sign up to the Climate Framework, with broad support from every part of its operation. The Framework is an agreement by 37 higher education institutions to contribute to the green transition and achieve the 1.5 degree limit for global warming. Under the Framework, the University has committed to halve its carbon emissions by 2030. Find out more about the Framework: Climate Framework for Swedish Higher Education Institutions.
