Goal 13: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, process and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 13 Climate action.

Net zero targets 

We have a commitment to become a carbon neutral university by 2038 for Scopes 1 and 2. Work to progress the University towards our zero carbon target is currently underway, with the following principles agreed:

• We will make urgent reductions in the first five years, reducing carbon emissions from a 2018 baseline of 54,000 tCO2 to at least 21,000 tCO2 by 2025. 
• All members of the University of Manchester community will understand the problem of climate change in order to make better decisions in their working lives. 
• The carbon impact of University activities is part of all strategic decision-making.  

Scope 3 emissions include all the carbon associated with our purchasing of goods and services, investments, student and staff travel, waste and the energy used by staff when working off-campus. We have calculated our Scope 3 carbon footprint however further work is currently in progress to make this more accurate and to include all 15 categories under the GHG Protocol. We are also developing a plan on how to achieve net zero in this area. We have far less influence and control over much of our Scope 3 emissions, but we are still responsible for them and they will far exceed our direct emissions from buildings and use of fleet vehicles. 

We are signatories to Race to Zero. Our report outlines the progress towards the criteria. 

Low carbon energy 

We measure the amount of low carbon energy used across the whole university, on annual basis. See our figures for 2022.