Efficient universities are a real location factor – more energy efficiency helps the climate and saves money

The universities in North Rhine-Westphalia are now making successful climate protection measurable. On Friday, 17 April, 14 universities and 16 universities of applied sciences, together with the state government, presented a joint balance sheet for their CO₂ emissions for the first time. The balance sheet shows that climate protection efforts are working: Between 2019 and 2021, emissions from electricity consumption fell by 28 per cent thanks to the use of green electricity. In total, the 30 public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia emitted around 441,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2021 – about as much as a city with 40,000 inhabitants. The joint greenhouse gas balance according to uniform standards is the result of an initiative by the state government. Annual monitoring is planned for the future. The balances for 2022 and 2023 are already in progress.

NRW Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Mona Neubaur: "With the joint carbon footprint, our universities are making climate protection systematically measurable for the first time - transparently, based on data and through joint action. This will strengthen targeted measures. Efficient universities are a targeted location factor and a key driver for innovation, competitiveness and a future-proof science location in North Rhine-Westphalia."

NRW Science Minister Ina Brandes: "Research is the best climate protection. Our universities are training the researchers of tomorrow who will develop ways in which we can protect the climate even better. At the same time, our universities are already making great efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as the data in the assessment report impressively demonstrates. This transparency is the prerequisite for the individual universities to now develop individual measures for greater energy efficiency. This helps the climate and saves money."

Simone Probst, spokesperson of the NRW Conference of Chancellors of Universities and Markus Hinsenkamp, spokesperson of the NRW Conference of Chancellors of Universities of Applied Sciences: "This report shows that universities and universities of applied sciences are aware of their social responsibility and are making their contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. The first uniform and standardised GHG balance sheet is also an expression of the high level of commitment at the universities and the good cooperation with the ministries involved. We look forward to continuing to work together on the path to climate neutrality and to meeting the challenge of fulfilling the high requirements for a climate-neutral campus."

Further key results of the greenhouse gas balance:

• The majority of emissions are attributable to the energy consumption of the buildings. Heat and electricity supply each account for half of this.
• From 2019 to 2021, the number of electric vehicles increased by 32 per cent. This means that around 14 per cent of vehicles in the fleets were already battery electric in 2021.
• Compared to the base year 2019, greenhouse gas emissions remained largely constant in 2021. Meaningful trends can only be expected with further balance years.

The greenhouse gas balance sheet provides numerous universities with a structured overview of their emissions for the first time, enabling them to draw up action plans and derive measures. This puts them in a position to fulfil their legally standardised role model function. The state government is supporting the universities in this endeavour.

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the first federal states in which all universities and universities of applied sciences have jointly prepared and published annual greenhouse gas balances in accordance with uniform standards.

To the greenhouse gas balance sheet of the NRW universities

GHG balance at Paderborn University

"In order to fulfil our global responsibility and shape a sustainable society, we at Paderborn University are actively committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We have already initiated various measures to achieve this. As the GHG report now shows, our sustainability strategy is bearing fruit. I am particularly pleased about this," says Simone Probst, Vice-President for Finances and Human Resources at Paderborn University.

The Paderborn University's balance sheet in detail: the building energy demand for electricity fell from 15,012.49 to 12,912.07 megawatt hours (MWh) between 2019 and 2021. GHG emissions fell from 7,104.73 to 5,542.99 tonnes of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalents) during this period. This represents a reduction of 21.98 per cent. In contrast, the building energy demand for heat increased from 25,148.43 to 28,089.56 MWh in the period from 2019 to 2021, while GHG emissions rose from 5,463.53 to 6,103.59 tonnes of CO₂e. GHG emissions caused by the use of company vehicles fell from 17.85 to 10.68 tonnes of CO₂e between 2019 and 2021. This corresponds to a decrease of 40.17 per cent. The number of passenger kilometres travelled on business trips in 2021 has been reduced by 62.60 percent compared to the previous year.

According to Probst, it is clear that the results of the universities must be read in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the coming years in particular promise to provide further insight. "The first joint greenhouse gas balance will be accompanied by continuous monitoring. This will identify and systematically record energy requirements across NRW in order to ultimately develop customised measures – an important step towards a climate-neutral state administration," says Probst.

To the Sustainability Office of Paderborn University

This text was translated automatically.