Failure to act on net zero has a cost

Universities are facing significant increasing costs as a result of inflation, rising material costs and the demands and expectations of society as a whole.

Establishing some certainty in uncertain times is challenging, so Directors of Estates are always keen to establish what the cost implications of policy or legislative changes might be.

There are certainly things within our control, such as the presence of RAAC, which are adding cost; and there are also factors, perhaps, less controllable, such as international student recruitment.

One of these less controllable scenarios is the cost of achieving carbon reduction targets.

Understanding the full cost

Most universities have set themselves a carbon reduction target but many are still uncertain about how they will achieve it and what it’s going to cost. Because of this, last year the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE), in partnership with stakeholders such as the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG) and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), started to help its members estimate the costs and develop indicative figures. They calculated a likely cost to the HE sector of around £37bn to achieve our collective net zero targets. That’s a huge figure, of a kind that might embolden institutional decision-making but might actually also paralyse us when faced with the enormity of our share of that cost. Nevertheless, this was a huge step forward and will have concentrated minds and brought forward planning in many universities.

But, whilst we have an understanding of the cost of deliberate actions the cost of not acting is unknown. But it’s likely to be beyond billions if we drag our heels or do nothing.

We know the 2015 COP target set at the Paris Climate Change Conference committed signatories not to exceed a rise of 1.5ºC in global temperatures. But that target has already been missed and, in 2023, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s forecast put global warming at a predicted 3.2°C – a frightening figure of a different kind, which can only be mitigated by rapid and unprecedented changes across society.

In short, we are way off target. And scary though the cost is today, delay can only make it circumstances worse, including the cost of not acting more serious.

Help at hand

It is against this background that AUDE has recently published the “Decarbonisation Guide”, which is available to AUDE members and non-members online. It aims to help universities build an effective decarbonisation plan no matter what their level of maturity is today. Decarbonisation is a good thing – good for the planet, good for health, good for the bottom line – and it’s also “brand critical” for students and staff in an increasingly competitive market place. There is reputational damage in not taking action, or in acting with half-hearted levels of enthusiasm. So, we hope this document will help universities as whole: in finance where the funding needs to be found, in planning teams where the whole corporate body needs to be harnessed to the task, in senior leadership and governance teams where the activity is to see the strategic once-in-a-generation opportunities and insist on the priority level. And – of course – in Estates teams.

Institutions have committed to carbon reduction and have a responsibility to find local solutions that align with national and international targets. Indeed, ambitious net zero carbon targets have been set in many universities. But they also know about the significant financial commitment and the extensive strategic planning workload involved. The Decarbonisation Guide is designed for pioneering universities who’ve started on this journey but also caters for those who are only recently out of the block. It aims to build from where each university realistically is, and is divided into sections for those needing to create Foundation Plans, and those where a relative level of maturity means plans can be at an ever greater level of detail: “Enhanced Plans” in the wording of the guide. The guide learns from those who’ve started on the journey and helps others avoid known bumps in the road.

Universities are, of course, knowledge hubs and massively influential places, able to act as exemplifiers of a rapid decarbonisation. In our towns, cities and regions we can leverage our position, leading pilots and contributing to geographically impactful sustainability planning, engaging with those behind us in this great push, and preparing our students to lead a just transition. With the HE sector’s carbon footprint estimated to be 15.6 Mt CO2e, it is essential for all universities to play their part in mitigating global warming by decarbonising their estate to achieve net zero emissions, as well as investing in and supporting the growth of carbon removal technologies.

Our aim must be to reach a stage where our operations are climate positive, meaning that they are actively removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they are emitting, resulting in a net positive impact on the climate.

Immediate savings

Action now will deliver immediate benefits to institutions by reducing consumption on their estates, in their transport and movement of goods and services and in their supply chain emissions. Interventions now can reap multiple benefits such as reducing energy consumption and adapting to future climate change across our estates. By transitioning away from fossil fuels through decarbonised heat and power – through retrofit, renewable energy generation either on or off-site or buying a high quality zero carbon PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Decarbonisation can lead to many co-benefits including improved local air quality, health, wellbeing, biodiversity, and climate resilience, positively benefiting our campuses and local communities.

The sector has tools that can help us. The Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework (SCEF), for instance, allows institutions to measure, report and manage their carbon emissions. The Sustainability Leadership Scorecard allows you to plot activities and measure successes against the UN’s Global Development Goals. This new publication will help you scope, procure and design your instituion’s decarbonisation plan and will complement tools already out there.

Decarbonisation is not a new concept, and existing guidance and industry best practice frameworks are available to support universities on this journey. The role of this new document is to support the university in defining what it needs ahead of commissioning work, and to help those plans to be practical and holistic; tailored to the reality of where you find yourselves on this journey; collaboratively created; and aligned to campus development aims and overall strategic intention.

AUDE will deliver a range of webinars in support of this publication over the course of the autumn and you’d be welcome to attend to learn more. It’s time to align your institutional values and governance, your financial and strategic planning, your research and teaching, your aspirations for innovation and your leadership of your staff and student bodies firmly behind this agenda.