Climate Plan Update:

June to August 2023

The University of Leeds Climate Plan sets out how we will support climate change mitigation and adaptation up to 2030, while also contributing to a healthier, greener and fairer place to live, work and study. 

This quarterly update sets out the progress made from June to August 2023 towards the climate principle ‘Delivering Net Zero by 2030’.

Progress on all seven principles will be reported annually in the Climate Plan progress report. Regular updates to our University community will be available throughout the year through the Climate Plan Sharepoint hub, alongide key updates on the University website.

This is the sixth report to update the University community on progress made since the Climate Plan and Pathway to Net Zero was approved by our Council in November 2021. See our previous reports on our Climate Plan reporting page.

For further information on our Climate Plan, visit our Climate Plan Spotlight article, which links to our Pathway to Net Zero Emissions report.

Work completed so far:

• Published a tender for work to begin exploratory drilling for geothermal energy on campus.
• Commenced detailed design on the building and energy infrastructure projects identified within the Net Zero Delivery Plan.
• Developed requirements for a strategic construction partner to support the delivery of net zero building and energy infrastructure projects.
  

Upcoming plans

• Present the Net Zero Delivery Plan to the University Council, proposing a phased delivery approach and agreement to commence priority delivery.
• Agree the additional electricity capacity required to deliver net zero ahead of a planned order to Northern Power Grid in the new year.
• Commence development of requirements for significant investment in renewable energy ahead of a planned tender in 2024.
• Develop a long-term resourcing plan to ensure the net zero delivery team has sufficient staffing to deliver the University’s objectives.

University greenhouse gas emissions

To account for the time required to receive validated energy use data, this update reports on Scope 1 and 2 emissions for February to April 2023, excluding vehicles, agricultural emissions and the escape of greenhouse gases from air conditioning units.

Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as natural gas used in our boilers. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions, generated from purchased energy.

Figures represent tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

We are working to improve our approach to providing quarterly greenhouse gas emissions data and are developing a new data governance approach. We will publish further information on this in due course.

• Previous year (2021/22): 12,771 tCO2e
• This year (2022/23): 12,317 tCO2e
• Difference: 3.6% decrease