To identify how our climate goals could affect other global sustainability goals, we have used the
. With the help of this self-evaluation IT tool, we can identify what considerations we should take into account in other areas in order to implement our climate strategy without interfering with the other global goals. The IT tool is developed by GMV in collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers and available to everyone, free of charge or other requirements.
An interactive process involving surveys and workshops enabled all Chalmers employees to have input.
The strategy’s focus areas, initiatives, measures and action plan were all based on the proposed measures and ideas received from researchers, administrators and engineers, as well as other teaching staff and the management group.
Our strategy is based on the Climate Framework for Swedish Higher Education and breaks down into seven areas. There are strategic initiatives and objectives in each area, which should result in reduced climate emissions. Additionally, each area is reviewed against the UN’s global sustainability goals so as to identify both synergies and conflicts with the 2030 Agenda.
We strive to be transparent in how we plan and fulfil our strategic initiatives and objectives in the hope that we might also inspire others to work with climate adaptation. We will regularly be providing access to the IT tools we produce and describing the ways we choose to work to reduce our climate impact. Furthermore, our strategy includes plans for the climate change adaptation we have ahead of us due to the consequences of global warming.
The goal
is for our net emissions of greenhouse gases to be zero. By 2030, Chalmers'
climate adaption work will have resulted in reducing our emissions to half,
with continued ambitious plans until 2045. Our calculations show, however, that
the direct emissions from the university's own operations will not reach zero
by 2045. This is because our calculations include posts such as employees'
travel to and from work and business travel, which would require available
climate-neutral transport alternatives for all. In return, we see that
Chalmers' positive climate impact, through research, education and utilization,
compensates for our remaining emissions and thus contributes to us reaching the
net zero target by 2045. Chalmers plans to produce a methodology to be
able to estimate how large our indirect contribution to climate change will be.