UK government to link funding to universities based on CO2 reduction

[This is a very bold initiative by UK government and reinforces the message that universities should be on the front line of moving to a zero carbon society. Research universities are among the worst culprits in terms of CO2 emissions. As I mentioned in previous posts although there is no precise data, back of the envelope calculations suggest that Higher ed produces anywhere up to 10% of all CO2 in the USA. This is greater than the combined emissions of steel smelting and cement manufacture. Universities on average produce between 200,000 to 500,000 metric tons annually of CO2 of which one or third or half is from the campus IT and data centers. But there is good news. IT and cyber-infrastructure not only has the potential to become zero carbon in its own right, but also help the university achieve lower reductions through various “smart” applications, and more importantly through the development of “gCommerce” it can provide a reward system to students and faculty to reduce their personal CO2 footprint. Thanks to Tom Baumann for this pointer. Some excerpts from the web page – BSA]

http://www.carbonoffsetsdaily.com/global/government-funding-to-reward-greenest-universities-3996.htm

Government funding to reward greenest universities

The government is planning to link the funding available to universities and colleges with their performance in reducing carbon emissions.

Universities secretary John Denham said yesterday that energy efficiency and emission reduction would be key priorities in a forthcoming government plan to build a framework for the future of higher education over the next 10 to 15 years. He confirmed that it planned to link success in cutting emissions to funding agreements from 2011.

In his annual grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Denham asked the Council to set out a strategy for curbing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

“Last year, I set out our ambition that capital funding for institutions should be linked to performance in reducing emissions,” he wrote. “Following your advice to me, I am now confirming that such links should be in place for 2011-12.”
He added that while the higher education sector had originally been asked to deliver a strategy to cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 and 26 per cent by 2020, the 60 per cent target had now been raised to 80 per cent in line with the government’s wider climate change bill.

Denham also urged universities and colleges to begin emission reduction investments as soon as possible, writing that he hoped “that some of the capital expenditure I have asked you to bring forward into 2009-10 will support strategic, long-term action to tackle climate change”.

In addition to calling on universities to take direct action to curb emissions, Denham also urged the HEFCE to step up efforts to remove barriers to research partnerships between universities and businesses, particularly in clean tech-related fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.