Carbon emissions released by higher education institutions in the UK have fallen to their lowest level for at least six years, figures suggest, but academics said much more can still be done.
Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that the 133 providers which submitted data for 2021-22 released 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The figures cover Scope 1 emissions, which are from sources that an organisation owns or controls directly, and Scope 2 emissions, which are those an organisation causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced.
Submissions have been optional for English and Northern Irish providers since 2019-20, but analysis of universities that have provided data consistently shows falling emissions across the sector.
