The UAB approves a set of actions to reach climate neutrality by 2030

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona's Governing Council recently approved the University's Climate Policy Programme. This ambitious plan aims not only to reduce the consumption of water and energy, but also eliminate the use of fossil fuels and advance in the reduction of indirect emissions caused by University activities to achieive climate neutrality by 2030, with the idea of also compensating for any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that cannot be reduced.

The UAB is a university with a long history of commitment to the environment. It was pioneer in creating the Environmental Science programme and research in this field; it is home to the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), one of the top internationally-renowned research centres, and has carried out different plans to improve the environmental management of its campus, such as the Sustainability Plan (2013-2017), the Healthy and Sustainable Campus Plan (2018-2022) and the SiS Campus Plan (2023). In fact, the University's 2018-2030 Strategic Plan explicitly states the intention to implement a sustainable university model, placing special emphasis on training, environmental awareness and mobility.

In 2018, UAB achieved a significant reduction in its carbon footprint, the indicator of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, when it began purchasing electricity from renewable sources. While in 2015 total emissions were 40,420 tons of CO2, in 2023 this figure lowered to 24,593 tons. Broadly speaking, according to the provisional 2023 closing data, 79% of GHG emissions at the UAB were generated by mobility to travel to the campus, 12% by gas consumption in buildings, and 4% by business travels.

The UAB has been working for some time to address the climate emergency and its effects, and now takes a major step forward with the approval of the implementation of a Climate Policy programme, a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy with concrete medium-term goals and commitments.

The measures include reducing water and energy consumption, gradually reducing the University's direct GHG emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, progressively abandoning the use of fossil fuels with their total replacement by renewable energies by 2030, incorporating the calculation of the carbon footprint in new construction, joining internationally recognised sustainability platforms and networks, adding the criterion of low-carbon public procurement in contracting processes, and incorporating content on ecological transition, sustainability and climate change in its training offer, among others.

The UAB will also transfer these commitments to the entities in which it participates, either directly or through its boards of trustees. In this way, the objectives and commitments of the UAB Climate Policy will contribute to local, national and global objectives, and will serve as a guide for the new professionals trained, as well as for the organisations, companies, entities and administrations that participate in the research and innovation of the University.