Carbon and Energy

Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today which has resulted from the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) from human activity. The primary effects include extreme weather events such as flooding and heatwaves, increasing global temperatures and sea-level rise. However secondary effects such as biodiversity loss, desertification, and changes to infectious disease; and tertiary effects such as climate migration, conflict, and deeper inequalities are becoming more evident.

GHG emissions are reported as scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions which refers to where they come from. These different scopes account for different activities that an organisation carries out or is within their wider value chain and include:

Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the organisation such as gas boilers and company vehicles.

Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions from the generation of electricity purchased.

Scope 3: Indirect GHG emissions as a consequence of activity by the organisation but are from sources that are not owned or controlled by the organisation. Examples of this includes emissions from suppliers of purchased goods and services, employee commuting, or emissions resulting from waste disposal.

Net Zero means achieving a balance between the GHGs emitted and removed from the atmosphere, by reducing emissions as much as possible, and offsetting any residual emissions which are extremely difficult to eliminate. Offsetting refers to removing GHGs from the atmosphere for example by restoring natural environments such as forests, grasslands, and soils. Offsetting is a last resort and prioritisation should instead be given to avoiding and minimising emissions where possible.

What we’re doing

In 2020 LJMU declared a climate emergency and in 2022 created a Climate Action Plan which set out our ambitious Net Zero target of 2035 for our Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Learn more about our Net Zero target.

Carbon Management Plan 2024 to 2029 summaryOur Climate Action Plan has five strands, leadership and governance, teaching, research, community engagement, and campus management. In 2023 we commissioned a decarbonisation plan as one action within our campus management strand, to understand how we can reduce our energy consumption and carbon emissions on campus. A core finding from this was the priority for heat electrification, which would reduce our emissions as electricity from the national grid decarbonises. The main strategy to move from gas to electric heating is to improve the building fabric and replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps.   

In working towards our net zero target, we have developed our Carbon Management Plan which sets out how we can target our decarbonisation activity and progress towards our target over the next six years. The plan also sets out targets to reduce our Scope 3 emissions, which like all organisations, make up a significant proportion accounting for 90% of our carbon footprint.

We are starting on an ambitious programme of installing photovoltaic panels on suitable and available roofs across the campus and have already replaced the gas heating system at the Henry Cotton Building with an air source heat pump. Continuing these positive steps, some of the key actions within the plan which we are working on include:

  • Installing air source heat pumps within more buildings.
  • Installing more solar panels.
  • Upgrading to LED lighting.
  • Improving insulation, glazing and draft proofing our buildings.
  • Improving the data we capture on energy usage to better target areas on campus.
  • Ensuring efficient use of space to optimise energy use.
  • Reducing emissions from our university vehicles.
  • Reducing waste.

Download our Carbon Management Plan Summary (PDF, 2.80MB)

How you can help

We can all help to reduce energy consumption on campus, some key actions you can take include:

  • Switch off lights and electrical equipment, especially PCs and monitors, when not in use.
  • Keep windows closed to conserve energy from heating and air conditioning and dress for the weather.
  • Open or close blinds in rooms – closing blinds can help to cool a room in summer, while opening them to let the sunshine in can help to warm a room.
  • Report faulty heating, air conditioning, ventilation controls and leaks to the Estate Management Helpdesk.
  • Try walking or cycling to campus, or take public transport if you live further away.
  • Help to reduce waste by using reusable coffee cups, water bottles and bring a packed lunch in a reusable container.