The ULL significantly reduces its carbon footprint in university buildings

For the second consecutive year, the University of La Laguna has recorded the carbon footprint of all its buildings used for teaching, research, and even student residences. This latest measurement shows a significant reduction in these figures, from 3,209.29 tons of CO₂ equivalent in 2022 to 2,553.58 tons in 2023.

This important progress, which represents a substantial decrease, has been certified by the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC), under the General Sub-Directorate for Climate Change Mitigation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, and has been integrated into the carbon footprint, compensation and carbon dioxide absorption projects registry.

This achievement is the result of the joint work of the Technical Office and the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability and Infrastructure and demonstrates the firm commitment of the University of La Laguna to sustainability and to fulfilling its Environmental Sustainability Plan 2025-2027, that its line of action 4.7.4. includes an action plan to achieve carbon neutrality.

This line of action for calculating and registering the carbon footprint in the ministry also includes a plan of measures to reduce said footprint and, in this sense, the academic institution has carried out various works focused on the decarbonization of its facilities, thanks to significant funding from the Government of the Canary Islands.

The €2 million grant, part of the aid program to promote self-sufficiency in public administrations, aligns with the Canary Islands' sustainability strategy and is funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (Component 7, Investment 2). This investment has enabled the implementation of key projects aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in university buildings.

The University of La Laguna continues to work on implementing new measures and projects to further reduce its environmental impact and consolidate its position as a leading institution in sustainability within the university sector. Furthermore, work is already underway to calculate emissions for 2024, as the emission factors that will be taken into account have just been published.