Overarching programme

The Climate Principles Programme was established in early 2022, following the University Council’s approval of the Climate Plan in November 2021.

The Programme retains the seven principles that make up the Climate Plan, each of which is overseen by a University Executive sponsor:

1. Net Zero – Rachel Brealey (Chief Operating Officer)
2. Sustainable Travel – Selina Stead (Executive Dean of Environment) through 2023, and William Murphy (Interim Executive Dean of Environment from January 2024)
3. Supporting a Net Zero City – Nick Plant (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation)
4. Reorientation of Research – Nick Plant (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation)
5. Providing a Sustainable Curriculum – Jeff Grabill (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Student Education)
6. Shaping Institutional Decision Making – Jennifer Sewel (University Secretary and Registrar)
7. Enabling Responsible Investment – Jane Madeley (Chief Financial Officer).

Climate Principles Programme Board

This group has overall accountability for the delivery of the Climate Principles Programme. They manage activity and reports progress to the University’s Executive Group and University Council.

The Board comprises senior University leadership, including academics with relevant experience and a broad range of stakeholders across staff and student bodies.

Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, is the overall University executive sponsor for the delivery of the Climate Plan. Jennifer Sewel, University Secretary and Registrar, is the chair of the Climate Principles Programme Board.

Over the last 12 months, activity within the Climate Principles Programme has significantly increased. Many of the principle workstreams have transitioned from set-up and design to delivery phases of projects.

A Programme Manager was recruited in the summer of 2023 to reflect this increase in activity and to provide the appropriate level of day-to-day oversight and management of the Programme.

The establishment of an overarching programme management delivery team has been approved to 2026 and recruitment will start in early 2024.

Delivery teams

The Climate Plan is presented through seven separate principles, each with their own delivery teams and structures. However, it is essential that the respective teams operate in a consistent and integrated manner. This is in recognition of the significant interdependencies across the seven principles, and with other change initiatives already in-flight, or to be mobilised over the coming years.

The commitment of resource to manage and oversee the delivery of the principles reflects the Programme Board’s ambition to:

• drive forward the Climate Plan at pace
• support the achievement of Programme objectives
• provide the best opportunity for successful outcomes
• ensure that appropriate governance is in place and that methodologies are being utilised in the most effective ways.

Team structure

The Lead Programme Manager oversees the following team members:

• Programme Management Office Lead
• Communications and Engagement Lead
• Finance Lead
• People and Change Lead
• Research and Engagement Officer

Then each area has the following team members:

Net zero

• Senior Project Manager
• Project Manager

Sustainable travel

• Project Manager

Reorientation

• Senior Project Manager (0.5 full time equivalent)

Supporting a Net Zero City

• Senior Project Manager (0.5 full time equivalent)

Sustainable Curriculum

• Project Manager

Shared Programme Resource

• Programme Management Office Analyst
• Two Strategic Project Administrators

Communications and engagement

Effective and transparent communication is critical to maximising the positive impact of the Climate Plan. By sharing our progress, we can demonstrate how seriously we take the climate crisis. This is especially important in the early years of our plans when there is a lot of work happening behind the scenes but fewer visible changes across our operations.

Communications can also encourage collaboration between various parts of the University and help engage our staff and students to support the Climate Plan delivery.

At the beginning of 2023, a campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the Climate Plan was launched. This included:

• all-staff email and leadership video from Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Interim Vice-Chancellor and President
• launch of the Climate Plan SharePoint hub
• video, blog and social media drives
• student engagement at the Leeds in Action Fair (part of Leeds University Union Climate Week).

Towards the end of 2023, there were several areas of focus of communication and engagement, including:

• staff welcome and induction development – inclusion of a Climate Plan welcome email and follow-up
• focussed campaign on Climate Week (30 October to 3 November)
• engagement/awareness event(s) around campus Geothermal drilling
• net-zero focus event for staff and students
• sustainable travel campaign through October and into Climate Week.

Whilst communication and engagement activities have increased throughout the course of 2023 there is scope to do more.

We’ve recently approved roles in Communications and Engagement, People and Culture and the new Research and Engagement Officer. These roles will help develop and execute comprehensive communication and engagement strategies aligned with the goals and objectives of the programme over the next 12 months.

Just Transition task force

In November 2022, the Climate Principles Programme Board requested an annual review of the University’s progress in delivering its Climate Plan.

The review was conducted by the Research Partnership Committee, led by the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures. It was presented to the Programme Board in December 2022.

Key among the review recommendations was the need to develop a Just Transition task force to review and assess the role of social justice in effective design and delivery of the Climate Plan.

Work has continued throughout 2023 to develop terms of reference including objectives, scope and deliverables for a Just Transition task force.

This proposal was approved in December 2023 and work will begin at pace in early 2024 to establish the membership of the group.

The task force will be coordinated by the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures reporting to the Climate Principles Board through the Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Future.

Task force deliverables

• A comprehensive Just Transition Strategy for the University, formally endorsed by the Climate Principles Programme Board, and intended for integration within the University's overarching Climate Plan delivery programme.
• Collaboration and engagement with stakeholders across the broader University community and external city-based partners in just transition-related discussions and activities.
• Identification of success metrics aimed at assessing the integration and promotion of justice aspects throughout the Climate Plan and related initiatives and programmes. This entails the creation of an evaluative framework by the Just Transition task force, subject to annual review for ongoing relevance and enhancement.

Investment overview

Most of the Climate Principles Programme budget drawdown approved to date has been allocated to net zero. This is due to the high costs of delivering its objectives such as retrofitting buildings and upgrading electrical infrastructure.

Programme spend has increased over the last 12 months as projects within the seven principles have begun recruitment to delivery roles. Spend will continue on an upward trend as we finalise detailed design and start construction projects. This will enable the delivery of net zero by 2030 as well as delivering against objectives in other areas.

Some of the approved budget figures were re-baselined in December 2023 to reflect programme changes to date and provide clarity for forward budget management and reporting.

Budget breakdown as of January 2024

Risks

Risks to the delivery of our Climate Plan are identified and managed by the Climate Principles Programme Management Team, part of the University’s Transformation Office.

There are over 100 individual risks across the seven principles which have been consolidated into themes. This provides an overall picture of the greatest threats and any dependencies between activities in different principles and across the University. Risks and themes are reported to programme board for review and management where necessary.

Current significant risks

Risk: Capital development cost assumptions are incorrect and the cost to deliver Net Zero by 2030 will increase

• Current risk: severe
• Control status: partially effective
• Target risk level: moderate
• Target resolution date: 2025

Given the rate of inflation (particularly for construction material prices), there is a substantial risk that the cost of our interventions will be higher than we initially planned.

We may need to adapt our plans accordingly, placing greater emphasis on the most cost-effective elements. Early feasibility studies completed in spring 2023 has helped inform the likelihood of this risk occurring.

Gateway reviews as we progress into technical design phases allow opportunity to review updated costs as the project progresses and to reevaluate as necessary.

Risk: Plans to electrify heat are no longer viable or will take longer to implement

• Current risk level: severe
• Current controls status: partially effective
• Target risk level: moderate
• Target resolution date: 2025

Individual risks include the viability of supplying additional electricity to our campus and the ability of our electrical infrastructure to cope with it.

These risks are being managed through the Energy Infrastructure sub-programme in our Net Zero by 2030 principle.

Risk: A failure to deliver a 50% reduction in business travel emissions could have a material impact on our ability to deliver net zero by 2030

• Current risk level: major
• Current controls status: weak
• Target risk level: moderate
• Target resolution date: January 2025

The rate of increase in business travel following the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions poses a challenge to our ability to reduce emissions.

This has led us to interim travel guidance whilst the Sustainable Travel principle develop integrated plans to deliver aimed reductions by 2030, including the development of a sustainable travel strategy and policy.

Risk: Balancing emissions is perceived as greenwashing by staff and students

• Current risk level: major
• Current controls status: partially effective
• Target risk level: moderate
• Target resolution date: 2026

There is a perception that work to balance emissions assumes that the University is not committing to reducing emissions as well. This could result in substantial reputational damage and difficulty obtaining stakeholder support for net zero activity.

Mitigations currently include recruiting dedicated resource to develop the strategy and develop specific University guidance.