A challenge reaching climate goals

Last year, air travel increased by as much as 600 percent. However, this is not very strange considering the low level during the pandemic. It is still a reduction of 44 percent compared to 2019, which is the baseline year. Fixed procurement of goods and services account for the largest part of all emissions, and the big question is whether the University of Gothenburg will achieve their climate targets?

LAST YEAR, OVERALL emissions amounted to 39,600 tonnes, which was 8 percent lower than the baseline year 2019. One reason is that fewer people used air travel in 2022 compared to 2019, according to new statistics on business travel. Above all, domestic flights of less than 500 km decreased by 19 percent compared to 2021.

– From the extremely low level of travel during the pandemic, we are now starting to see the effects of the world opening up again, even if we are not reaching the same level as before 2020. One explanation for the decline since 2019 is that we have become accustomed to using digital tools, and no longer see the need to travel to as many conferences, says Fredrik Högberg, Sustainability Coordinator. by implementing this system

MOST AIR TRAVEL is to Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and France – 39 percent of all air travel emissions are within Europe. A positive trend is that more and more people are travelling by train, an increase of 181 percent compared to 2021. Train emissions amount to no more than 14 kilos of carbon dioxide.

– IT IS GREAT THAT more people want to travel by train in Europe. But the available statistics are not entirely reliable, as only emissions from electrically powered trains in Sweden are measured. Europe commonly uses diesel-powered trains that, of course, generate a higher level of emissions.

The long-term goal is as follows: The university’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by a quarter by the end of

2023 and halved by 2030. This is the aim of the Climate Framework that the University of Gothenburg has signed together with all Swedish universities in order to achieve the national climate goals. Currently, it is not looking likely that the university will achieve this goal by 2023, Fredrik Högberg predicts.

– IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY, considering the wheels are starting to roll again with more people choosing air travel. The reduction is a mere 8 percent compared to 2019 – to cut another 17 percentage points would probably require more stringent measures, he says.

The increased default surcharge of 400 krona per plane ticket, payable to the university’s climate fund for joint measures, does not seem to have had much of an effect in discouraging air travel, says Fredrik Högberg.

But it is actually not flying that is the greatest source of emissions, but the purchase of goods and services, corresponding to over 50 percent of all emissions. Transport and travel only comprise 16 percent.

In the new web-based climate tool, Carbon Intelligence System, all invoices are converted into CO2 equivalents. It applies to all types of purchases of goods, services, transport and travel, etc.

– THE UNIVERSITY OF Gothenburg has come further than any other Swedish university by implementing this system, giving heads of departments, deans and financial controllers a good overview of department emissions allocated across different categories. This provides feedback about which emissions can be cut.

Several departments have paved the way in controlling their employees’ business flights. For example, the Department of Conservation and the School of Public Administration have introduced a cap of two flights per year and employee. The recommendation is to travel by train as much as possible within Europe.

Any other potential measures will also be imposed by the Swedish Climate Policy Council.

– We are all in this together. It will be interesting to see what measures the government will implement, Fredrik Högberg concludes.