The Netherlands is home to thirteen research universities and seven university medical centres (UMCs), each of which has a sizable carbon footprint. Although they all want to become more sustainable, they lack “an efficient roadmap to achieve these plans” state The Young Academy and the Green Young Academy in their report Thirteen shades of green. Examining the climate ambitions of Dutch universities.
They argue that universities have an important role to play in creating a sustainable future. “They have tools that are badly needed”, says Rogier Kievit, one of the report’s authors.
But what exactly is causing these emissions?
“Emissions are usually divided into three ‘scopes’. There’s energy consumption on campus, indirect emissions from purchased energy, and all other emissions, such as those from staff commuting, catering, purchased goods and so on.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have reliable data on the total energy consumption of universities and UMCs. They all use very different methods to measure and add up their emissions, so it’s impossible to make comparisons.”
Why do you believe that universities and UMCs in particular should be at the forefront when it comes to sustainability?
“Universities and UMCs are major organisations. They’re amongst the country’s biggest employers, which means that they also have a significant environmental footprint. It’s important that they use their unique position to make a positive change. They can act as small laboratories, developing and testing technologies that are crucial for society as a whole.”
“And then there’s the fact that these institutions educate students. They can impart vital knowledge to a generation facing a massive social challenge.”
You point out that the climate plans of universities and UMCs lack clarity and consistency. Why is that?
“The reports these institutions put out serve multiple purposes, including their own, which can lead to inconsistencies. It also doesn’t help that, until recently, there was no standard reporting template. This has changed now that we have the sustainability reporting guidelines. Once those have been implemented across all universities, we’ll be better able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current reporting practices.”
“The Netherlands is somewhat unique: our universities are quite large, and they’re sufficiently intertwined – both physically and academically – to enable transparent collaboration. So we can also set a positive example for other countries, in Europe and beyond.”
You argue for more cooperation between universities and UMCs. What form should this take?
“We need to have more central coordination. The universities’ sustainability coordinators do talk to each other, but contact is still fairly infrequent – sometimes two years will go by without a meeting. They could achieve a lot more by working together in a structured manner.”
“I think a lot of good ideas are developed at universities, and it’s important that those ideas are shared. Sustainability is a complex issue. If every organisation has to keep reinventing the wheel on its own, you lose time and opportunities.”
What specifically is needed to meet the current climate goals? Should universities install more solar panels?
“There’s no silver bullet – it’s about the entire set of measures. We mainly look at the big picture, but each university and UMC will have different focus areas.”
“Although every institution has a sustainability plan, it’s often unclear who’s responsible for implementation. And when there are budget cuts, the position of sustainability coordinators quickly becomes precarious. So then all those plans are simply forgotten, which will end up costing more energy, time and money in the long run. You have to ensure the continuity and stability of these roles, otherwise it’s impossible to implement consistent policy.”
“Cooperation is truly essential in this context, because it allows you to exchange ideas and share the workload. This challenge is too big for a single organisation to tackle. We’re convinced that these goals are achievable: there’s plenty of innovation and collaboration potential within universities and UMCs.”
In their manifesto, Sustainable Thinking, Sustainable Action, The Young Academy and the Green Young Academy call on the administrators of Dutch knowledge institutions to take concrete measures. Amongst other things, they advocate embedding sustainability in curricula and promoting ‘socially relevant science’. Utrecht University, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente, Amsterdam UMC and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences have already signed the manifesto.
Umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) says that it will discuss the report with its members. “Universities have already taken many steps in recent years to become more sustainable, and they have also been working together more closely in this area”, says UNL spokesperson Ruben Puylaert. “The Young Academy’s report can help us make further progress on this issue.”