Carbon Management Plan

(2015/16 -2020/21)

Version 1.0

Author Stewart Miller

Checked by Ann Allen

Approved by David Duncan and Prof Dan Haydon

Issued 25th October 2019

Date of next review October 2020

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CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1

Global Context ......................................................................................................................... 1

Organisational Profile ............................................................................................................... 1

Legislative Context ................................................................................................................... 2

University Context.................................................................................................................... 3

2.0 Carbon Management .................................................................................................. 5

Carbon Footprint Data .............................................................................................................. 5

Carbon Footprint Breakdown ................................................................................................... 5

Carbon Reduction Target .......................................................................................................... 6

Future Carbon Footprint Projections ......................................................................................... 6

Carbon Reporting ..................................................................................................................... 7

3.0 Carbon Reduction Strategies ....................................................................................... 8

Energy Strategy and Action Plan 2018 ....................................................................................... 8

Strategic Transport and Travel Plan (2016 – 2025) ..................................................................... 9

Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan (2018) .............................................................. 10

Design Standards and Soft Landings Policy, Process and Procedures 2017 ................................ 10

Environmental Communications Strategy ............................................................................... 10

4.0 Governance and Delivery of the CMP ........................................................................ 11

1.0 Introduction

This Carbon Management Plan (CMP) will set out The University of Glasgow’s (UofG) carbon reduction

targets and objectives for 2015/16-2020/21. Our carbon footprint is assessed and compared to future

projections to produce realistic goals. The CMP will act as a focal document, signposting all related

strategies which will deliver emissions reductions, and highlighting how each strategy will help us to

reach our target of 55,000 tCO2e by 20/21.

Global Context

• The Paris Climate agreement, drafted in 2015, saw 195 countries reach consensus on the

need to keep global temperature rises this century to well below 2oC, while pursuing efforts

to limit the increase to 1.5oC1.

• The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has published a special report which

indicated that limiting global warming to 1.5oC would require ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by

around 2050 (IPCC, 2018); any additional warming above 1.5oC would significantly worsen

the risk of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people,

globally2.

Organisational Profile

• UofG was founded in 1451 and is a world-class learning and research higher education

institution. The University’s mission is: “To bring inspiring people together and create a

world-class environment for learning and research, empowering staff and students alike to

discover and share knowledge that can change the world” (University of Glasgow, 2015).

• The University currently has 26,381 students, 8,192 staff and is located in the West End of

Glasgow. The University estate includes over 290 buildings ranging from 19th to 21st

century.

• Currently expansion of the University estate is taking place, with a £1 billion redevelopment

underway at the former Western Infirmary site, adjacent to the Gilmorehill campus.

• Both student/staff numbers and the size of the estate will continue to increase in the coming

years, adding further pressure to the organisation’s carbon footprint.

1 https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf 2 https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

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Legislative Context

• The UK Climate Change Act 2008 commits the UK government by law to reducing

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels be 20503. This has been put

into Scottish law through the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 which commits Scotland to

a 42% reduction in emissions by 2020, and 80% reductions by 20504.

• Section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 also places duties on public bodies

such as UofG to: contribute to carbon emissions reduction targets; contribute to climate

change adaption; and to act sustainably.

• In 2015, the Scottish Government introduced an order requiring all public bodies from the

Major Player list (including UofG) to report annually to Scottish Ministers on their

compliance with the climate change duties.

• In April 2019, the Scottish Government declared a global climate emergency.

• In May 2019, the Committee on Climate Change published their report ‘Net Zero – The UK’s

contribution to stopping global warming’. This report recommended that Scotland adopt a

target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 20455.

• Subsequently, the Scottish Government amended the Climate Change Bill to set a target of

net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest. The 2030 and 2040 targets were also raised to 70%

and 90% emissions reductions, respectively6.

3 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/pdfs/ukpga_20080027_en.pdf 4 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2009/12/pdfs/asp_20090012_en.pdf 5 https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero-the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warming/ 6 https://www.gov.scot/publications/global-climate-emergency-scotlands-response-climate-change-secretary-roseanna-cunninghams-statement/

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University Context

The Carbon Management Plan is not a stand-alone document but works in unison with other

University plans and strategies, as shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 – Environmental strategies, in relation to the Carbon Management Plan

University Strategy (2015 – 2020)

• Reduce emissions to less than 39,000 tCO2e by 2020 (*Please see section X of this document for explanation on updated target)

University Sustainability Strategy (2016 – 2021)

• A whole-of-institution approach to sustainability

• Improve carbon efficiency and deliver an absolute reduction in our organisational carbon

footprint

• Develop robust management systems to ensure performance is continually measured

against our sustainability targets

Campus Estate Strategy (2016/17 – 2020/21)

• Create an accessible, welcoming and sustainable campus

• Protect the natural environment, use resources wisely and reduce carbon emissions

Estates five-year Business Plan (2016-21)

• Improved estates carbon efficiency; we will normalise carbon emissions from gas and

electricity consumption, by gross internal area, in order to facilitate comparison with other

similar organisations

• Assets and resources utilised in ways which reduce environmental impact

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Declaration of Climate Emergency (2019)

• In May 2019, the University of Glasgow made its own declaration of climate emergency7.

• At the time of writing, the University is conducting a study to determine potential routes to

net zero carbon emissions, with a view to committing to a date for net zero emissions in

autumn 2019.

• UofG must continue to strive for significant reductions in operational GHG emissions in the

years to come.

7 https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_646140_en.html

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2.0 Carbon Management

Carbon Footprint Data

Figure 2 below summarises the annual carbon footprint data for the University of Glasgow, over the

period 2015/16 to 2017/18. The footprint includes Scope 1 emissions (gas consumption, fugitive

emissions, fleet vehicles), Scope 2 emissions (electricity consumption) and Scope 3 emissions (water

consumption, waste production, business travel, staff/student commuting).

Figure 2 – Historical Carbon Footprint Data for the University of Glasgow

Carbon Footprint Breakdown

Table 1 below shows a breakdown of the UofG carbon footprint, based on our data returns to

Scottish Government, under the Public Sector Climate Change Reporting Duty over the past three

years. Scope 1 emissions have steadily increased over this period, due to the installation of a gas-

fired CHP engine. At the same time, Scope 2 emissions have significantly decreased, in part, because

we are now generating some of our own electricity via CHP and in part because of the

decarbonisation of the national grid. It should be noted, that as the grid continues to decarbonise,

there will come a point when the electricity supplied by the grid is less carbon intensive than that

supplied by our gas-fired CHP engine. At this point, use of the CHP engine will start to incur a carbon

cost. Scope 3 emissions, particularly as a result of flight-related business travel have also increased.

71058 6959064109

61484

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20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18

ton

CO

2e

Annual Carbon Footprint (UofG)

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2015/16 emissions (ton CO2e)

2016/17 emissions (ton CO2e)

2017/18 emissions (ton CO2e)

Gas Consumption 17825.3 19576.3 20492.0

Fleet Vehicles 265.9 154.2 214.6

Refrigerant Emissions 443.2 555.7 523.3

Electricity Consumption

29223.4 22445.4 15926.2

Business Travel (Flight Related)

9472.7 (8765.4) 9429.7 (9119.8) 12616.2 (12346.0)

Staff/Student Commuting (Car Related)

10829.4 (6265) 11082.1 (6644.5) 10847.2 (6541.7)

Waste Production 1181.2 567.2 534.9

Water Consumption 349.8 298.7 329.8

Annual Total 69590.9 64109.0 61484.2

Table 1- Carbon Footprint Breakdown for 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18

Carbon Reduction Target

Over the period 2015/16 to 2020/21 we plan to deliver a further 20% cut in our organisational

carbon footprint, which translates to a reduction in carbon emissions from 69,590 to 55,500 tCO2e

per annum.

(Note: the 39,000 tCO2e target stated in the University Strategy was based on a scope that did not

include emissions from refrigeration (fugitive emissions), business travel, and staff/student

commuting).

Although we aim for absolute reductions in our carbon emissions it is also important to highlight the

importance of improving carbon efficiency. Our estate is projected to grow significantly in the

coming years and we will also analyse the carbon emissions of our buildings, in relation to total

Gross Internal Area (GIA). This will enable us to compare our carbon efficiency with that of other

similar organisations.

Future Carbon Footprint Projections

The University of Glasgow is currently undergoing a period of campus redevelopment, with

expansion into the former Western Infirmary site, in the West End of Glasgow. As part of the work

on the infrastructure design for the redevelopment, ARUP consultancy carried out a carbon

forecasting study in May 2017, to gain an understanding of what the University’s annual carbon

footprint might look like in 2020/21, taking into consideration the campus redevelopment and also

the impact of future grid electricity decarbonisation. A number of different scenarios were

considered.

Under the ‘best case’ scenario, where:

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• Decarbonisation of the electricity grid was as per that projected by BEIS ‘grid average for

public sector’

• New buildings on the Western Infirmary site were designed to EPC B+ (38KgCO2/m2/annum)

• New 0.3MVA data centre is added in 2020

• Gas-fired CHP incurs carbon dis-benefit after 2018, as the electricity grid decarbonises

• Demolition of Mathematics Building in 2018

the resulting annual carbon footprint of the University was projected to be in the region of 61,400

tCO2e by 2020/2021. Thus, given the revised carbon reduction target of 55,500 tCO2e by 2020/21,

we estimate that an additional 5,900 tCO2e in emissions savings will need to found over the

period.

These carbon savings will need to come from a reduction in both gas and electricity consumption

(~4000 tCO2e in emissions savings), along with changes in the way we travel and improved waste

management procedures (~2000 tCO2e in emissions savings). The following section will highlight the

emissions reductions that we aim to achieve from the effective implementation of a number of

different University strategies.

Carbon Reporting

In line with our Environmental Communications Strategy, UofG will always be transparent in the

reporting of its environmental performance data, with relevant information readily accessible via our

sustainability webpages. We will continue to return data on an annual basis, to both the Scottish

Government (in line with requirements under the Public Sector Climate Change Reporting Duty) and

the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

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3.0 Carbon Reduction Strategies

The success of the Carbon Management Plan depends on effective implementation of the following

strategies to meet the targets set within effectively.

Energy Strategy and Action Plan 2018

The Energy Strategy 2018 states “Our mission is to deliver 6,000 ton CO2e in emissions savings per

annum, from improved energy management” across the period of this strategy. Planned emissions

saving projects of relevance to the period 15/16 to 20/21 total 4,240 ton CO2e and are listed in Table

2, below.

Year Project Carbon Saving (ton p.a.)

Pre 2019 Zero gas oil / District heating project 946

Additions to district heating system 50

LED lighting replacement projects 50

Building Management System optimisation 691

2019 Kelvin data centre – PUE improvments 500

IT powerdown software 341

Joseph Black window/fabric replacements 250

Boiler replacements – efficiency improvements 200

Library lighting project 54

2020 Library lighting project 54

Boyd Orr cladding 200

Boiler replacements – efficiency improvements 100

Chiller replacements - efficiency improvements 200

2021 Cochno Farm solar PV scheme 100

Additional solar PV – flat roofs 50

Library lighting project 54

Kelvin Data Centre – heat recovery 400

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Strategic Transport and Travel Plan (2016 – 2025)

The Strategic Transport and Travel Plan aims to widen the choice of means by which staff, students

and visitors may travel to and from the University in a safe, comfortable and sustainable way. Table

3 below demonstrates that ~1800 tonnes CO2e in emissions savings per annum would be realised,

should the 2020 targets be achieved.

Element Carbon saving (ton p.a.)

Modal Shift Targets 2015 2020

1 Reduce the proportion of staff travelling by car alone to the Gilmorehill Campus

26.7% 20% ~650

2 Reduce the proportion of students travelling by car alone to University premises on all campuses

7.5% 5% ~650

3 Increase the proportion of staff travelling to University by bike across the University

9.7% 12% n/a

4 Increase the proportion of students travelling to University by bike across the University

6.2% 10% n/a

Business Travel Targets

5 Increase the proportion of staff using video conferencing facilities as an alternative to travelling

34% 50% n/a

6 Reduce the proportion of staff typically using taxis for travel between Gilmorehill and Garscube

31% 20% 4

7 A 10% reduction in business car miles (private cars) from 2014/15 by 2020

360,547 miles 324,492 miles 10

8 A 10% reduction in domestic business air passenger km from the 2014/15 figure by 2020

1,843,449 passenger km

1,659,104 passenger km

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9 Reduce CO2 emissions associated with fleet vehicles by 10% from the 2014/15 figure by 2020

137,780 kg CO2 e 124,002 kg CO2 e 30

10 No increase in the carbon emissions from international business air travel per employee compared to the 2014/15 figure by 2020

898 kg CO2 e 898 kg CO2 e or less

No net impact on carbon emissions

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Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan (2018)

The Waste Management Strategy aims to reduce waste to landfill and maximise segregation of “dry

mixed recycling”, with the target of achieving a 50% recycling rate by 2020.

Rollout of improved recycling facilities across the estates could save us in the region of 150 ton CO2e

in emissions savings per annum.

Design Standards and Soft Landings Policy, Process and Procedures 2017

Our designs standards document will help to ensure that our new buildings are delivered to the

highest standard, with guidance outlining our requirements in terms of space standards,

maintenance and access, servicing and deliveries, estates and operations, security, ICT, fire,

sustainability, inclusive design, grounds and landscaping, signage and business continuity.

The Soft Landings process recognises that the ongoing maintenance/operational costs of a building

during its lifecycle far outweigh the original capital cost of construction. Adherence to this policy

should ensure that in-use performance of new buildings is optimised, through early engagement

with both building managers and end users in the design process, and by learning from previous

experience. Both the Design Standards and the Soft Landings Process should help to minimise the

carbon impact of our growing estate, but will not deliver emissions reductions, per se.

Environmental Communications Strategy

The Environmental Communications Strategy seeks to deliver clear and coherent communication,

with respect to both environmental performance and action at UofG. Communication activities will

showcase progress and highlight the commitment and contributions of staff and students involved

with environmental issues, thus encouraging others to increase their own involvement. Again, it is

impossible to put a figure on the emissions reductions that an effective Environmental

Communications Strategy will deliver over the period of this CMP.

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4.0 Governance and Delivery of the CMP

Oversight of the CMP will be carried out by members of our Sustainability Working Group, which has

the following remit:

• To oversee implementation of the University's Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan, of

which the CMP is an integral part

• To raise awareness of and engagement with the Strategy and Action Plan across the

University community

• To make recommendations about future amendments or revisions to the Strategy and

Action Plan

• To enhance the University's reputation and profile as an institution that is committed to the

sustainability agenda

• To provide reports periodically to SMG and to Court via the Estates Committee.

and the following membership:

• Two co-chairs, one of whom is the Chief Operating Officer

• College Sustainability Champions

• University Services Sustainability Champion

• Two representatives of the SRC

• One senior officer from Estates & Commercial Services

• Head of Procurement

In attendance:

• Sustainable Environment Officer

• Communications and Public Affairs Officer (as required)

Responsibility for the delivery of our various emissions reduction strategies is outlined as follows:

Energy Strategy and Action Plan

Director Facilities and Technical Services

Strategic Transport and Travel Plan and Action Plan

Chief Operating Officer

Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan

Director Facilities and Technical Services

Soft Landings Policy, Process and Procedures

Director of Construction and Facilities Management

Design Standards

Director of Construction and Facilities Management

Environmental Communications Strategy

Director of Communications and Public Affairs