We have done a lot of work on Carbon Management and energy-saving over previous years. We were the first UK University to take part in the Carbon Trust Higher Education Carbon Management Scheme in 2003.

We produced a Carbon Management Plan in 2011 setting out our targets and a plan to achieve them. This plan was described as 'exemplar for the sector' by The Carbon Trust.

We have achieved the target set out in the 2011 Carbon Management Plan “to reduce direct Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions (due to electricity and gas use) by 43% by 2020 from a 2005 baseline.” Over this period we have achieved a 45% reduction, slightly more than anticipated partly due to the national fall in carbon intensity in electricity and partly due to the impact of lockdown during April – July 2020.

We are now developing on our plans to achieve the net zero targets we adopted in 2020.

We have achieved a reduction in our carbon emissions while expanding the University significantly.

Since 2005 we have cut down:

• carbon emissions by 45%
• emissions per m2 building floor area by 61%
• emissions per student and per turnover by over two thirds

Read about our progress in our latest annual report.