UEF set an ambitious objective to become carbon neutral by the end of 2025. Despite emissions decreasing, this objective will not be achieved.
Climate action undertaken by the University of Eastern Finland has significantly reduced emissions, but the university will not achieve its ambitious carbon neutrality objective by the end of 2025. The university set this objective in 2020, with the baseline carbon footprint calculated using data from 2019. This year marks the sixth time the university has calculated its carbon footprint.
“We’ve managed to reduce our emissions by nearly 25%, which is a significant achievement, especially considering the increased number of staff and students at the University of Eastern Finland,” Sustainable Development Specialist Maiju Eskelinen says.
The most notable reduction is in the university’s facilities-related emissions, which are now well below half of the baseline level. This reduction is mainly due to the switch to renewable energy in district heating, eliminating the use of peat. Energy consumption has decreased, and there is also a clear reduction in procurement-related emissions when considering the impact of inflation on purchasing power. Emissions from laboratory activities have remained stable throughout the review period.
Travel-related emissions have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic but are still below the baseline level. Moreover, travel-related emissions need to be adjusted in relation to the number of staff, which at the University of Eastern Finland has grown by over 400 employees during the review period.
“Our original carbon neutrality objective was set to be achieved this year. However, climate work has changed rapidly in a short period of time, affecting our progress. For example, commercial carbon offsetting has been abandoned. Although the original objective will not be reached, our efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change will continue. Next, we will reformulate our climate objective and update our action programme for sustainable development,” Eskelinen says.
Read the full summary: Carbon Neutral UEF 2025 – Summary of the Carbon Footprint 2019–2024 (pdf). More information on the University of Eastern Finland's sustainability and responsibility actions is available at: https://www.uef.fi/en/sustainable-development.
