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Together as a University, as a leader in climate research and collaborating with our global and local partners we need to ensure we have a workplace and world fit for a dynamic and sustainable future.
UEA declared a joint climate and biodiversity emergency on World Environment Day, 5 June 2019. The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research calculated UEA’s remaining carbon budget at 147ktCO2 for 2015-2050 using the ‘Town and Gown’ methodology. This is an ‘energy-only’ carbon budget, including emissions from the UEA campus, student and staff housing. It recommends a 13% annual reduction in emissions from 2020 onwards. A pathway to Net Zero was collaboratively developed as part of this work, building on our previous Energy and Carbon Reduction plan. The next iteration of the plan is currently under development to set out how we will deliver our updated Sustainability Strategy and will be published in 2025.
UEA's carbon baseline year is 2015, the year of the Paris Agreement - the international treaty on climate change. This was also the year the University reached its peak carbon emissions of 25,486 tonnes (scope 1 & 2).
In 2021, the Vice Chancellor announced our net zero ambitions:
A reduction in campus emissions (Scopes 1 & 2) of at least 80% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline
Net zero emissions (Scopes 1, 2 & 3) by 2045 or earlier
Not relying on offsetting for Scope 1 & 2 carbon emission targets
The Energy Implementation Team is responsible for monitoring progress against our Net Zero plan and report to the University Sustainability Committee.
Where are we now?
Our Scope 1 & 2 emissions measured over the 2023/24 academic year were 32% lower than the 2015 baseline*.
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*Scope 1 emissions are from fuels that the university uses on site, primarily natural gas for heating. Scope 2 are the indirect emissions from our bought energy supplies - the electricity we purchase from the National Grid. These emissions are calculated using the average carbon intensity for the electricity grid (location-based reporting). We purchase REGO certificates for 100% of our electricity, making our supply zero-carbon if reported under a market-based approach.
How will we achieve our ambitions?
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far on our carbon reduction journey, but we recognise there’s more work to do. We remain committed to meeting our 2030 and 2045 targets and are planning how to accelerate our efforts to achieve the required emissions reduction.
The University is currently finalising the Sustainability element of its 2030 Strategy, which will set out the fundamentals to put us on track for an 80% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2045.
A key element will be the decarbonisation of heating on our estate, eliminating the emissions from burning natural gas in our CHP and boilers. We are investigating the option of removing our CHP engines, which we estimate could reduce our emissions to 66% below the 2015 baseline.
We are evaluating how to make more efficient use of our estate, so that the amount of heat and power we supply to buildings is appropriate for the level of occupancy. For example, making sure we heat buildings only when needed and using smart building technology to adjust heat levels automatically.
We are also looking at how we can more efficiently deliver and utilise energy across our campus, through improvements to our district heating system and better building insulation.
More details of the projects we are working on in this area are available on the Energy Implementation Team page.
Tracking our progress
We track and report on our progress as part of our International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001 certified Environmental Management System and through our Energy Management System, which we are developing to the ISO 50001 standard. These provide an externally verified framework to manage our compliance obligations, protect the environment and make continual environmental and energy improvements.