Climate Plan Update:

March to May 2024

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 March to May 2024 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 ninth 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:

• Completed the first phase of exploratory drilling for geothermal energy on campus.
• Finalised a tender for significant investment in renewable energy generation away from our campus.
• Delivered additional energy saving communications and activity around the Easter shutdown period.
• Launched recruitment for Balancing Emissions Coordinator to help develop the University’s strategy on offsetting.

Upcoming plans

• Launch a tender for a construction partner to deliver detailed designs on the Worsley and Engineering Cluster projects as part of our phase 1 delivery of the Net Zero Delivery Plan. 
• Formally request quote from Northern Power Grid for the additional electricity capacity required to deliver Net Zero.
• Complete exploratory drilling for geothermal energy on campus. 
• Launch the next stage of our recruitment campaign for key project roles. 

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 November 2023 to January 2024, 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. 

Previous year (2022/23): 13,665 tCO2e. 

This year (2023/24): 14,053 tCO2e 

Difference: 2.8% increase.