By Marianne Fuglsang Welling Farsinsen and Lea Laursen Pasgaard, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Photo: AAU

AAU is on track to reach its ambitious goal of climate neutrality by 2045. This is shown in AAU's climate report for 2022, which has now been published. The report shows progress on AAU's climate goals, but also points to areas where special focus is needed in the future if the university is to achieve its goals.

- At AAU, we are committed to making a difference and contributing to solving major societal issues. This also applies to the climate. To achieve our goals, it is important that it is not just an effort for the few, but that we are all aware of our climate footprint and what we can do together to achieve the goals, says University Director Søren Lind Christiansen.

Results reflect positive development

AAU's annual climate accounts are based on the Green House Gas Protocol (GHGP) method and follow a common model for calculating climate accounts developed in collaboration with other Danish universities. It shows the university's greenhouse gas emissions from the university's total activities (scope 1, 2 and 3 in the climate accounts) over time.

- One striking result is that the total CO2 emissions in 2022 have been maintained at the same level as in the reference year 1990. This is despite the fact that the number of users - students and staff - has more than quadrupled during the period, says Alex Røge Hermansen from Campus Service, who has been involved in developing the climate accounts, and continues:

- The general development in the energy sector from predominantly black energy sources, such as coal, gas and oil, to more renewable solutions, such as wind and solar energy and energy from waste incineration, has had a major impact on the university's reduced climate impact measured per user. In addition, since 2014, the university has reduced its total energy consumption from almost 62 to approx. 38 million kWh through ongoing energy renovation and the replacement of older and energy-intensive buildings with more modern and energy-efficient buildings, explains Alex Røge Hermansen from CAS.

Finally, the climate accounts also show that we as an organization have managed to meet the interim target of a 70% reduction in emissions relative to the size of the university by 2030.

Continued tasks for AAU to tackle

The results point to a positive development, but the climate accounts also clarify which tasks AAU still needs to address in order to reach the goal. According to Alex Røge Hermansen, it indicates that we at AAU will have to change the way we act on a daily basis to a greater extent in the future if we want to reach our overall climate goals in 2045. The last part of the journey is likely to be more difficult.

- Fortunately, societal developments are helping us along the way. Among other things, with the transition to green forms of energy, but there is potential to reduce emissions in, for example, the way we shop and the way we share resources. The fewer square meters we have, the lower our climate impact. The most sustainable and climate-friendly building square meter is the one that is not built. In the building sector, this can be about spreading shared workplaces or joint workshop and laboratory functions where it makes sense. In other places, it's about using space more efficiently - for example, double-utilizing classrooms so that they can also be used for group work or study spaces when classes are not in session, explains Alex Røge Hermansen.

Our behavior and actions are the focal point of AAU's climate plan, which is still being developed. During 2023, many students and staff have contributed to the development of the climate plan through workshops, and at the end of 2023, the climate plan has undergone a first reading by the Executive Board and is expected to be finally approved in mid-2024. The intention is that the climate plan, together with the climate accounts, will be a management tool in the realization of AAU's climate goals.