Three-quarters of UK institutions reduced their carbon emissions last year as the total volume of CO₂ produced fell by the equivalent of flying around the world over 3,500 times.

Figures from the??(Hesa) show UK universities were responsible for 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023-24.

These include both ¡°scope one¡± emissions, from sources that an organisation owns or controls directly, and ¡°scope two¡± emissions, which are caused indirectly.

Analysis by?ÌÇÐÄVlog?found emissions as a whole fell by 4 per cent among the 116 institutions?that have reported figures every year since 2015-16.

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This was the largest fall in four years and means total emissions have dropped to their lowest level on record. It comes following?warnings in recent years that the sector was not doing enough.

Piers Forster, professor of physical climate change and founding director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, said the 4 per cent fall was encouraging news.

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He said the UK grid is decarbonising rapidly, while emissions totals were also seeing the effects of universities?retrofitting their estates ¨C installing low carbon heating and using electric car fleets.

However, Forster warned that the UK sector?was facing financial pressures at a time when it needs to spend further on energy-saving initiatives such as heat pumps and retrofitting.

Of universities with consistent figures, three-quarters (72 per cent) reduced emissions last year. This was an improvement on 56 per cent the year before and the largest proportion since 2019-20.

While encouraging, Charlotte Bonner, chief executive of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, said the figures should not be a sign ¡°that the work is done¡±.

¡°°Õ³ó±ð²â?signal progress after a plateau and a renewed effort from many providers. The bigger picture remains: we need sustained, systemic reductions aligned with credible net-zero pathways.

¡°While some institutions are clearly accelerating their efforts, others still need to catch up and overall, we¡¯re still not yet on track to meet sector-wide decarbonisation targets.¡±

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The biggest reductions among universities came from the University of Bradford (62 per cent less emissions) and the University of Derby (22 per cent less).

In contrast, London South Bank University increased its emissions (by 17 per cent) ¨C as did the University of Northampton (by 16 per cent) and Aston University (by 15 per cent).

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For continued progress, Bonner said the sector needs to tackle the issues that remain challenging and shift from ¡°marginal gains to deeper structural change¡±.

For institutions this means focusing on heat decarbonisation, embedding decarbonisation in institutional governance, and being innovative and intentional with funding mechanisms where needed, she added.

The University of Edinburgh, which emitted 61,200 tonnes, produced more carbon emissions than any other institution. Other big polluters included the University of Cambridge (51,056 tonnes) and UCL (49,176 tonnes).

Reporting emissions to Hesa is a statutory requirement for providers in Wales but is optional for those in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Hesa figures exclude emissions from supply chain transport and waste so Bonner said they only show part of the overall picture.

In total, the UK sector reduced its scope one and two emissions by over 38,000 tonnes of CO₂. This is roughly the same level of emissions produced by flying an airplane around the earth¡¯s equator 3,671 times.

Jane Harrison-White, executive director of the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE), said many institutions are making significant progress?on decarbonisation despite the headwinds caused by inflation, financial scarcity and operational difficulty.

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¡°Clearly it is very positive to see this reduction being reported and it reinforces how seriously the higher education sector takes the need for decarbonisation.¡±

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com?