The UK looks set to miss its carbon emissions commitments

Over the years, UK universities have been at the forefront of climate change research. In anticipation of COP26 in 2021, 140 universities pledged their support for a fresh series of climate action commitments crafted by Universities UK, encompassing emissions reduction objectives.

However, while the UK has de-carbonised faster than any major economy, the government confirmed earlier this year that we are currently on track to miss the commitment made under the 2016 Paris Agreement to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The 2030 pledge is vital to deliver on the UK’s legally binding requirement to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The government’s analysis shows that its policies will meet only 92% of the emissions cuts required and, without further changes, the target will be missed.

What role can UK universities play to accelerate progress in combatting climate change?  

Universities are critical to tackling the climate emergency. This is through their teaching and research, and by delivering on their own commitments to reduce emissions.

A recent analysis by the Priestly International Centre for Climate at Leeds University of the carbon footprint of UK universities and further education colleges has revealed for the first time the source and scale of their emissions. Data from 537 institutions indicated they emitted more than 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) into the environment in 2020/21, which represents around 2.3% of the UK’s overall carbon footprint. 80% of these emissions came from three areas: the built environment including student accommodation; staff and student travel; and the way the sector procured goods and services.

How can Key Travel support UK universities in addressing the carbon impact of travel?

Staff and student travel accounts for nearly 25% of all university emissions and is the second biggest category after purchased goods and services. As the leading travel management provider to the UK academic sector, Key Travel has developed a multi-pronged programme to help universities eliminate non-essential travel and mitigate the environmental impact of purposeful travel. This includes:

  • Use of a proprietary audit methodology co-developed with the World Wildlife Fund to benchmark travel de-carbonisation activities versus global best practice, identifying areas for improvement.
  • Detailed carbon reporting by location, department, project, and booker as well as target setting and the use of carbon levies and limits.
  • Tools to make informed choices at the point of sale such as the flagging of the greenest options in search results e.g., rail when this is a realistic alternative to air travel (substituting rail for air where journeys can be switched delivers 13x lower emissions per journey).
  • Carbon offsetting through our world-leading carbon reduction partner, Cool Effect, which offers only gold standard, triple verified carbon reduction projects around the world.
  • Sharing the latest thinking and best practices from some of the world’s leading environment organisations we work with.

In addition to the tools and support we provide, Key Travel believes in leading by example, which is why we have successfully held the internationally accepted ISO14001 Environmental Management accreditation since 2011 and became a carbon neutral organisation ourselves in 2022 (3yrs ahead of target).


Why action is needed now

Recently, there’s been some exciting developments in the airline sector with airlines starting to use and invest in sustainable fuels and hydrogen fuelled planes. These changes will take time and sustainable jet fuels, although important in the long term, have their own issues including a limited supply, scaling up, supply chain readiness, and economic viability.  As per the UK Climate Change Committee, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can only cover up to 25% of the UK fuel demand in 2050.

While we await the benefits of sustainable fuels, we urge universities to act now.  The sector should reduce non-essential travel, shift mindsets and behaviour towards more ‘purposeful travel’, encourage the booking of lower carbon emitting travel options and offset any residual carbon emissions with reputable partners like Cool Effect.