SDU’s Climate Accounts 2018–2022 show an overall decrease in CO2 emissions

SDU’s overall greenhouse gas emissions are heading in the right direction. This can be seen in the recently prepared climate accounts for 2018–2022.
In 2022, SDU emitted 10,707 tonnes of CO2 e, which is 39% lower than in 2018.

The goal is to reduce total emissions by 57% per cent by 2030 compared to those of 2018. The 57% corresponds to 70% compared to 1990 levels, which is also the national target. However, the University has seen an increase in emissions in 2022 compared to 2020 and 2021, which were extraordinarily low due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Well underway – but more initiatives are to follow

University Director Thomas Buchvald Vind is pleased with the accounts, which, according to him, document many of the good initiatives that have been implemented for the sake of the climate.

- It’s good to see that at SDU we are generally moving in the right direction in many areas. The biggest goal in our work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is summarised in the Climate Plan 2030, but the annual climate accounts allow us to monitor and expand our initiatives across the University, he says.

Within the framework of the Climate Plan 2023, the management is regularly initiating projects to include more categories and improve the quality of data in SDU’s climate accounts. For instance, work is underway to incorporate data on the climate impact of goods and services purchased at SDU into the accounts. In this way, the accounts will give the most accurate picture of SDU’s impact on the climate.- On behalf of the climate, we can be pleased that SDU has had lower greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 than in 2018. But we shouldn’t rest on our laurels because of the good result so far. We face a very significant task in transforming the University into becoming even more climate-friendly in the coming years, Thomas Buchvald Vind says and elaborates: 

- For example, we can already see increasing emissions from air travel, and in this context all of us at SDU need to observe the climate considerations that have been incorporated into SDU’s travel rules with effect from January 2023. At the same time, more and more areas will be incorporated into the climate accounts in the coming years, which will only increase the need for us to do even more if we are to achieve the 57% reduction target by 2030.

Climate accounts are calculated in three scopes

SDU’s calculation of CO2 emissions is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). The GHG Protocol is an internationally recognised and widely used standard for calculating CO2e emissions for companies, organisations and other universities, and it is recommended by the European Commission, among others, and the cross-sectoral collaboration within the Government’s climate partnerships.

The climate accounts are divided into three scopes:
Scope 1 – the direct emissions from the University, such as when SDU cars are being used
Scope 2 – indirectCO2e from energy consumption. For SDU, this is particularly related to electricity and heat consumption.
Scope 3 – indirect emissions, which covers the categories where SDU indirectly affects an emission. This means that the emission itself takes place elsewhere than at SDU. For SDU, indirect emissions are calculated for waste, water and work-related travel as well as fuel and electricity-related activities.

The climate accounts have been prepared by Financial Services with data and input from sources including researchers at the Department of Green Technology in relation to the use of data sources and emission factors, and from Technical Services in relation to the University’s use of energy.

Dig deeper into SDU’s Climate Accounts

It is possible to dig deeper into the accounts and see local trends at department level 
Download the full accounts here (link to the accounts)