isramart : UK universities to be carbon neutral by 2050

Isramart news:
UK universities are being told to go completely carbon neutral by 2050.
A joint consultation by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Universities UK and GuildHE has put forward a number of suggestions for more eco-friendly universities.

According to the consultation, UK universities must cut carbon emissions in half by 2020 before going carbon neutral by 2050. These include direct emissions from boilers and furnaces as well as secondary emissions from electricity use.

This will involve focusing on areas such as energy use within the buildings, water consumption and waste.

The consultation emphasises the roles individual universities have to play in reducing their own carbon emissions. From 2011, funds will be allocated to universities on the basis of carbon emissions plans and strategies submitted by the universities.

Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said: “Universities can play a vital role in our economic recovery, especially in advancing a strategy for real and lasting change in order to reduce our carbon footprint. The results of this consultation will be awaited with enormous interest.”

The consultation period will end on Friday 16th October 2009. As part of the process, two seminars will be held to offer the sector the chance to discuss details further. The seminars take place on Thursday 3th September 2009 in London and Monday 7th September in Manchester.

Sir Alan Langlands, HEFCE Chief Executive, said: “Higher education is uniquely placed to play a leading role in helping to meet the UK carbon reduction targets. This can be achieved through the skills and knowledge of its students and graduates, through its research and exchange of knowledge, and through the strategies and operations of every university and college.

“We believe that the approach outlined in this consultation will harness the commitment, creativity and innovation in higher education, to achieve a genuine carbon reduction culture. We hope that all institutions, working with partners, will want to be part of this effort to significantly reduce emissions.”

The Government has set targets of a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 and Diana Warwick, Chief Executive of Universities UK, believes the consultation will help to achieve these targets. She said: “Universities UK supports this goal. The pursuit of sustainable development is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Universities, as educators, have been playing a vital role in moving this agenda forward, and seeking a reduction in carbon emissions is key to this.”