Today, March 5th, World Energy Efficiency Day, the University of La Laguna formally registered its carbon footprint for 2024, totaling 2,763.37 tons of CO2.2 equivalent, in the Spanish Office for Climate Change, under the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, for the third consecutive year.
This process of measurement and transparency is part of the Environmental Sustainability Plan 2025-2027, approved by the Governing Council in December 2024. The action included in the environmental management axis, specifically 4.7.4, focused on the pursuit of carbon neutrality, including measures to reduce the institution's carbon footprint.
Although a slight increase of 209.8 tons of CO2 has been observed2 While emissions are equivalent to those of 2023, there are clear prospects for a significant reduction by 2025, the figures for which will be submitted in April. According to the Technical Office of the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability and Infrastructure, this increase is mainly due to the replacement of refrigerants in the air conditioning systems of various centers, a necessary maintenance task for their operation but one that directly impacts Scope 1 of the carbon footprint. To improve the consumption of these types of gases, the University of La Laguna has launched a social media campaign.
However, the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability and Infrastructure faces the coming year with optimism, thanks to the completion of significant green infrastructure projects. Currently, energy efficiency improvements have been carried out on 15 roofs of the institution's buildings, including the integration of photovoltaic solar panels for self-consumption of the energy used in the building, in addition to the 9 projects implemented in 2023.
The institution has also strengthened its commitment to sustainable mobility by installing solar-powered electric vehicle charging points. These energy transition measures suggest that the 2025 carbon footprint will show a significant reduction, consolidating the trend towards climate neutrality.
“We are an institution deeply committed to decarbonization; measuring our footprint is the tool that allows us to identify where we need to act. With the investments in solar energy ”With an installed capacity of around 1.5 MW and energy efficiency measures already in place, the University of La Laguna will be at the forefront of academic institutions leading the fight against climate change in the archipelago,” says Cintia Hernández, Director of the Sustainability Secretariat of the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability and Infrastructure.
He calculation and recording of the carbon footprint These are not merely an exercise in voluntary responsibility, but, since 2025, they have been a legal obligation. Specifically, they are mandated by the recently updated state regulations, Royal Decree 14/2025 of March 18, which establishes the carbon footprint registry, carbon offsetting and carbon dioxide absorption projects, and mandates the calculation of carbon footprints and the development and publication of greenhouse gas emission reduction plans.
With an eye on the 2025 carbon footprint results, the University of La Laguna is trying to meet SDG 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy of the Canary Islands Sustainable Development Agenda, pursuing specific Canary Islands goals such as Canary Islands Goal 7.3.1. Progressively improve energy efficiency in the Canary Islands, so that by 2030 an improvement equivalent to a reduction of 27% of primary energy consumption is achieved compared to the trend scenario.
With this new registration, the institution maintains its transparency and its roadmap in the Environmental Sustainability Plan, aimed at a cleaner, more efficient campus that respects the natural environment of the Canary Islands.
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