The Vice-Chancellor has approved a new Environmental Plan for the University for 2022–2024. The new Environmental Plan centres around a long-term goal for the University: “to at least halve the total emissions of greenhouse gases caused by the University’s activities by 2030,” compared with a base year of 2019. After 2030, the plan envisages a gradual reduction of emissions to achieve climate-neutral status by 2045.
Activities and new working procedures
The new Environmental Plan is based on the inventory of the University’s climate footprint for 2019 that was conducted earlier. The climate inventory reveals that the three largest sources of emissions are business travel, buildings and purchases of goods. The goals and activities in the Environmental Plan are linked to the three major sources of emissions.
The Environmental Plan also contains activities aimed at developing the University’s working procedures for environmental and climate action. Important areas include involving the disciplinary domains in the further development of environmental and climate action, disseminating and building on good practice, and developing the University’s environmental representatives organisation.
Concrete measures in coming years
The Environmental Plan now adopted covers a two-year period until the end of 2024. The plan describes long-term strategies for achieving the goals along with short-term activities and measures to begin with in the next few years (see the fact box below). The activities are divided into University-wide measures and measures at department level or equivalent.
The intention is to adopt new environmental plans with new activities on an ongoing basis. The plan notes that “The University assumes that new knowledge, new behaviours, new habits and further progress in certain areas will help us to achieve our long-term goals.”