According to the estates’ management record at the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the majority of UK universities have failed to meet their carbon reduction targets. The sector had the goal to reduce emissions directly controlled by institutions by 43% between 2005-06 and 2020-21.
However, 59% did not meet this target. People and Planet University League used this data to rank universities’ efforts to reduce carbon.
Cardiff Metropolitan University, with a 65% decrease in emissions over the 15-year timeframe, topped the league table for the first time this year.
As regards Oxbridge, it is slipping down the carbon rankings. The University of Oxford has fallen 16 places to 40th, while Cambridge fell two places to 86th.
The University of Exeter and University College London – from the Russell Group universities – are in the top 10.
However, Jack Ruane, the university league manager at People and Planet, said: «It is disappointing to see that 59% of UK universities have failed to achieve the carbon reduction target. This highlights the importance of holding the sector accountable via short-term assessments of actual reductions in carbon emissions, rather than celebrating net zero target-setting, which are often vague on how offsetting will be achieved».