Global temperatures over June-August this year have been the hottest on record by a wide margin ( WMO ). As Australia moves into what’s expected to be a particularly hot summer, we can reflect on how each of our decisions has the power to positively or negatively impact climate change. For positive outcomes to be realised, transformational change and collective action is required.
At ANU, a significant source of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is from University-related travel. Reducing these emissions is achievable through informed decision-making that considers environmental impacts. Since 2021, ANU staff and students have developed a program to address travel emissions with co-designed solutions using new tools, technologies and goal setting. ANU leadership has recently endorsed a milestone target of 50 per cent reduction in emissions from the 2019 baseline. The good news is that we know this is possible because we have already achieved this target post-COVID. Read the full story below.
Every day we see evidence that climate change is happening. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published their Sixth Assessment Report identifying the current state of the climate and action required to avoid catastrophic impacts. The ANU climate goals and timelines were developed to align with this advice and do our part in reducing our contribution to the problem while working with others to increase the impact of those efforts.
The goal to reach net zero emissions by 2025 and below zero by 2030 requires ambitious milestone targets and transformational change. Developing new, improved ways of working means determining how we can work with the natural environment, adapt our built environment, create positive change in our society and make the impacts of our daily choices more apparent for informed decision-making.
Travel emissions (not including commuter travel) accounted for over half of the University emissions profile in 2019 (baseline year). This scenario is not unique to ANU. Previously, travel has represented a significant portion of emissions for most higher education institutions, especially for universities in our region. Travel creates a new complex challenge for our sector. We heavily rely on travel for our core business of research and teaching, but we also need and want to be part of the solution for a sustainable future. To align these two goals, we must establish a system and culture supporting viable and equitable solutions.
We must establish a system and culture supporting viable and equitable solutions.
Currently, many organisations, including universities, rely on commercially purchased carbon offsets to reach and maintain their climate goals. However, this form of ‘pay to play’ goes against the international best practice of reduce emissions first, which we have adopted as a key foundation of our approach to reach our climate goals. Additionally, global carbon markets are being called out for not delivering on true and long-term emissions removal claims, as are offsets in the Australian carbon market.
“Addressing travel emissions is a complex task for ANU and the sector and is not something we can buy our way out of,” says Dom Haywood, Director of the ANU Sustainability Division, “Our community needs to travel to undertake work and study, and we have to consider and address the negative environmental impacts arising from this activity. These impacts need to become a priority when making decisions about when and how we travel.”
Work towards a nuanced approach to address travel emissions started in 2021. Since then, academics, professional staff and students from across ANU have collaborated on how we can reduce travel emissions without compromising research and educational outcomes. The mission is to create an enabling environment that supports staff and students to reduce travel emissions. “It’s not a matter of stopping travel,” says Dom, “we each need to be able to recognise opportunities for reductions by having the knowledge and the tools to make informed choices.”
It’s not a matter of stopping travel, we each need to be able to recognise opportunities for reductions by having the knowledge and the tools to make informed choices.
ANU Below Zero team will be working with the various Schools and Colleges, with support from the Travel Lab group (a multidisciplinary group of ANU researchers) to co-design approaches that emphasise proven and effective measures relevant to our geographical context, academic objectives and business outcomes. The focus is on using evidence-based best practices with data and technologies to support decision-making. Several critical enablers have been identified that support this approach. They include,
- Leadership action: ANU leaders to support low carbon travel, role-model behaviour and encourage action.
- Tools and measures: These will be co-designed, tested and evaluated with local areas, including aids to inform decision-making and support knowledge sharing and integration of successful outcomes across the community.
- Enabling organisational systems: Clear and consistent communication campaigns, data visualisation tools, travel management system with inbuilt sustainability mechanisms, training and guidance for the community and access to support staff and resources.
- Career development opportunities: Ensuring sustainability is embedded in the ANU employee value proposition and recruitment processes, having performance measures and development that require, recognise and reward sustainable behaviours and building an incentives program that supports positive change.
- Enabling the built environment: Infrastructure and technology that enhances virtual engagement opportunities and alternatives to travel.
The ANU Leadership team have shown their support by endorsing a University-wide target to see our travel-related emissions reduced by 50 per cent by 2025, compared to the 2019 baseline. Reaching this target will take us a quarter of the way to reaching our overall climate goals and, most importantly, avoid more than 15,000 tonnes of CO2 and other greenhouse gases reaching our atmosphere.
Professor Mark Howden, IPCC Vice Chair and Director of ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions is encouraged by the strong University leadership for reducing emissions and sees this as “an opportunity for the whole ANU community to support the global shift towards the transformational change required for a safe and healthy society and planet.”
At the same time as endorsing the new travel target, many members of the ANU leadership team agreed to make their own personal pledges to reduce emissions from their travel. This type of leadership action is part of a necessary strategy for top-level targets matched with individual action.
In 2019, ANU travel emissions were more than 30,000 tonnes of CO2e. During the pandemic, travel was halted, forcing us to adapt to new working conditions and creating opportunities to engage in novel ways. These skills and tools for engaging with our networks during the pandemic have been carried forward. In 2023, our travel emissions have stayed below pre-pandemic levels, with emissions likely to be down by about a third from 2019. Emissions have risen slightly since 2022. By prioritising the travel opportunities that contribute the most to our objectives, actively choosing low carbon travel itineraries and utilising travel alternatives when possible, we can reduce our emissions and achieve our climate goals.
Thinking about how you can reduce your travel emissions? Consider choosing low carbon travel itineraries, prioritising opportunities, creating an annual travel plan, choosing slow transport methods where possible, and organising multipurpose trips. You can find more tips on the ANU Sustainability website.
If you have questions about this target see these FAQs.