Cross-cutting priorities

This section updates on progress against objectives which are shared across the Climate Plan.

The impact of climate change will be felt most by those who lack the resources or capacity to adapt.

This was highlighted during this summer's extreme weather both in the UK and around the world.

There is also a risk that the costs of net zero solutions are unfairly distributed throughout society, or that these solutions are unaffordable.

We have committed to deliver our Climate Plan in a just way.

Progress made  

We will ensure our transition to net zero is equitable and just, making sure it is fair to all and does not happen at the expense of others.

We aim to collaborate with groups that represent our university community . For example, our Panel on Sustainable Travel Policy includes a selection process to ensure a diverse membership.

However, we are aware that we have not collaborated enough and we are working to improve this, for example by engaging more widely as we develop our delivery plans, and building this into reporting and engagement.

We have been asked by University Senate to ensure we account for international inequality in our delivery of net zero, particularly in relation to the Global South.

No progress has yet been made on this and it needs to be included within the development of a methodology for assessing social justice. Contributions from the Research Partnership Committee and wider consultation are particularly welcomed in this area.

Academic contribution was essential in developing the Climate Plan and Net Zero pathway, and we have been clear that we want this to continue and be embedded in delivery.

There is good representation throughout delivery groups and some detailed work happening in Living Lab projects, but there is potential to expand this.

Research and Development Managers have been critical to bridging the gap between operations and research and are continuing to work with the Climate Principles programme to improve collaboration. The Research Partnership Committee review and assessment will help increase the level of collaboration.

Progress made

We will use the University Farm to provide a unique test bed to explore and implement sustainable pathways.

To support this, we agreed two initial objectives: 

• We will determine our baseline emissions and estimate scope 3 emissions for the farm.

We have estimated the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions from the pig unit and the arable farm operations for the farming year 2020/21 using a detailed model developed by Megan Tresise and the Farm Carbon Toolkit (software for farmers recognised as the best tool available). The output of this has been included in the ‘Emissions reporting’ section of this report.

• Explore and identify pathways that support net zero. 

A report on pathways to reduce emissions from energy on the farm is being finalised and will be issued shortly.

Slurry management has been identified as the main source of direct emissions from farm operations and we have started to investigate methods to reduce emissions and explore opportunities to use slurry to replace chemical fertiliser. In the coming months we will identify and fund specific Living Lab projects at the farm that align to University or agricultural sector net zero challenges.

Our campus will be operating as a net zero living laboratory so we can learn-by-doing and share knowledge worldwide. 

Beyond the farm, three active Living Lab projects are addressing knowledge gaps in the programme team and will also achieve research and teaching benefits:

• Exploring geothermal heat: working with Geosolutions Leeds to review the opportunity to use geothermal heat as low carbon heat source for the University. A mixed discipline academic group is working with estates to support a desktop study and if successful, will incorporate instrumentation into bore-holes to support research and monitor performance. The context, for this is further covered in the ‘Reorienting Research and Teaching section’.
• Calculating food emissions: a student in the Leeds Institute of Data Analytics has been recruited to develop a reporting method for University food emissions that we can use to plan interventions.
• Gair Wood: the creation of new deciduous woodland near King Lane in Leeds, designed to maximise biodiversity, store carbon as part of our balancing emissions programme, and provide research and teaching opportunities. The project has been designed collaboratively with academic and operational staff and has been led by the University-based charity United Bank of Carbon, with the first tree due to be planted in December 2022.

Looking ahead, we are developing an improved process for identifying and setting up Living Lab projects and reporting progress in collaboration with Research and Development Managers.

Effective and transparent communication is a critical to maximising the positive impact of the Climate Plan. It helps share the progress we are making and demonstrate how seriously we take the climate crisis, particularly in the early years of our plans when there is a lot of work behind the scenes but fewer visible changes across our operations. Communications can also encourage collaboration between different parts of the University community and help engage our staff and students to support the Climate Plan delivery.

Escalating energy costs and the impact of the 2022 summer heatwaves have increased awareness of energy usage and the climate crisis and there is an opportunity to translate this into positive action.

We recognise that communication at the start the Climate Plan delivery could have been better. We have secured additional resource to improve and increase staff and student engagement.

Communicating progress and opportunities 

Transparent and honest communication of progress is a key part of our communications strategy, in line with our university value of Integrity.

We now publish quarterly updates on our progress which are shared via staff and student communications channels. 

We are also working with colleagues across the University to develop a sharing hub for data and project reporting, and collaborating across departments to ensure that initiatives and opportunities – including research opportunities – are highlighted through the most appropriate channels.

Staff and student engagement  

We are further developing the communications plan to support wider staff and student engagement, and a Student Sustainability Architect is being recruited to lead on net zero engagement with the student population.

We will invite staff and students to join the Panel on Sustainable Travel Policy and engage with this progress report both online and in person. We are also collaborating with colleagues to incorporate the Climate Plan in communications around COP27 and Campus Live.

Embedding sustainable practice 

Whilst most emission reductions will be driven through investment across our estate, our university community has an important role to play in supporting and delivering action across the Climate Plan.

The net zero pathway highlights an objective to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions through improved sustainable practice and there is potential to increase the pace of this through appropriate staff engagement.

We will expand existing programmes led by the Sustainability service such as the Blueprint staff engagement programme and the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), which focuses on sustainability in laboratory environments. These programmes will become the main mechanism for staff engagement in delivering against the seven Climate Plan principles.

We will increase investment to improve engagement with existing teams and scale up activity across the University, alongside messaging and support to reduce energy usage at a local level.

We will also develop support to encourage innovation and projects that have the potential to reduce emissions across the University.

Previous section: 3) Emissions reporting

Next section: 5) Investment overview

Back to the report overview page