Recording of climate-relevant emissions

How climate-friendly is the University of Augsburg today – and where can effective climate action begin? With the Climate Action Concept 2025, the university presents its first comprehensive and transparently documented greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting. For the 2024 reporting year, it identifies the sources of climate-relevant emissions, providing a science-based foundation for the systematic, responsible, and targeted development of climate protection measures. Based on recognised international standards, the GHG inventory makes developments visible and paves the way for concrete steps toward greater sustainability at the university.

Approx. 26,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents recorded for 2024: The GHG inventory provides the first comprehensive overview of where emissions occur within university operations.

The majority (73.3%) are indirect emissions: Commuting, construction activities, and business or study-related travel are the primary contributors.

Buildings and energy remain central fields of action: Electricity and district heating consumption in university buildings account for the vast majority (92.4%) of directly influenceable emissions (Scope 1+2).

Climate Action & EMAS: Based on the GHG inventory, reduction potentials were identified and climate protection measures developed, which are detailed in the Climate Action Concept. Furthermore, the University of Augsburg is currently implementing the EMAS environmental management system.

Climate action is a collective responsibility on campus: Many emissions are linked to everyday decisions—such as the choice of transport, participation in data collection, or energy- and resource-saving behaviour. The entire university community can contribute here.

GHG Inventory 2024 and Climate Action Concept of the University of Augsburg

To advance climate protection at the University of Augsburg systematically and effectively, it is essential to record greenhouse gas emissions transparently. With its Climate Action Concept 2025, the University of Augsburg presents its first comprehensive GHG inventory, which represents the status quo for the 2024 reporting year and creates an evidence-based foundation for further climate protection at the university.

The concept was developed with funding from the National Climate Initiative and follows the internationally established standards of the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1. The GHG inventory is a central instrument for making emission sources visible, tracking developments over time, and identifying the need for action.

Scope of accounting

The GHG inventory records emissions from

Scope 1: Direct emissions (e.g., natural gas consumption, vehicle fleet, and refrigerants)
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased electricity and district heating
Scope 3: Other indirect emissions (including mobility, construction, procurement, leased assets, as well as business and student travel)

For universities in Bavaria, the annual preparation of a GHG inventory is mandatory. To ensure a constant framework for annual updates, the Bavarian universities are required to report a so-called “Core Inventory” with a defined scope. This includes all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as well as specific Scope 3 sources: purchased paper, IT equipment, upstream chains of energy (carriers), waste, air travel, and energy consumption in rented buildings.

The University of Augsburg further reports a “Total Inventory”. In addition to the Core Inventory, this includes other relevant sources such as construction activities, further procurement items, overall travel, and commuting. The goal of the Total Inventory is to fully record all university emission sources, though it is currently limited by existing data gaps. While the Core Inventory will maintain the same scope each year, the Total Inventory’s scope is determined by the available data. In both cases, values may change over time as a result of, e. g., refinements to the calculation methodology or updates to emission factors.

Key results of the GHG accounting 2024 (as of June 2026)

For the 2024 reporting year, a total emission load of 26,384 t CO₂ eq. is recorded. The mandatory Core Inventory comprises 10,384 t CO₂ eq.

The emissions in the Total Inventory are distributed as follows:

Scope 1: 532 t CO₂ eq.
Scope 2^[1]: 6,507 t CO₂ eq.
Scope 3 (total): 19,345 t CO₂ eq.

The vast majority of emissions fall under Scope 3, particularly commuting, construction, and travel. While Scope 1 emissions may seem secondary compared to Scopes 2 and 3, their reduction remains nonetheless vital for a responsible university climate management.

[1] location-based

GHG emissions in 2024 in Scope 3 as well as total (in t CO2 eq.)

GHG emissions in 2024 in Scope 1 and 2 (in t CO2 eq.)

Building emissions

The GHG inventory includes a building-specific analysis of emissions from electricity, district heating, and natural gas.

Data basis and participation

Creating a GHG inventory involves significant effort in data acquisition and coordination. Around 350 individual data points (as of June 2026) from various departments and external sources were collected, verified, and evaluated.

Implementation within the EMAS Framework

The results of the GHG accounting serve as the basis for climate measures within the EMAS environmental management system that is currently being implemented at the university. Based on the Total Inventory, reduction potentials were identified, and a concrete catalogue of measures was developed. EMAS (‘Eco-Management and Audit Scheme‘) provides the structural framework for planning, checking, and developing climate protection measures and other environment-related actions and indicators.

Taking responsibility together

The GHG account shows: A large portion of emissions stems from everyday decisions, such as mobility, energy use, or procurement. Every member of the university can thus contribute to reducing harmful greenhouse gases. Climate action at the University of Augsburg is a collective task requiring a long-term shift in daily practices.

Further development and transparency

The GHG inventory will be updated annually. In the meantime, we continuously work to refine the underlying data, especially regarding mobility. A broad participation in surveys helps improve the quality of the inventory.

The publication of the GHG accounting 2024 and the Climate Action Concept 2025 marks the University of Augsburg's current reporting status, providing a transparent framework for future climate protection efforts within the university's operations.

→ The Climate Action Concept 2025 of the University of Augsburg (in German) can be downloaded:

HERE

FUNDING PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL CLIMATE PROTECTION INITIATIVE

From 1 October 2023 to 31 October 2025, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (at the start of funding, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection) is funding the project "KSI: Klimaschutzmanagement - Erstellung eines Integrierten Klimaschutzkonzeptes für die Universität Augsburg (KlimKonUniA)” (Eng.: “KSI: Climate Protection Management – Creation of an Integrated Climate Protection Concept for the University of Augsburg”) as part of the National Climate Protection Initiative (funding code 67K20555).

National Climate Protection Initiative

With the National Climate Protection Initiative (German: Nationale Klimaschutzinitiative), the German government has been initiating and promoting numerous projects since 2008 that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its programs and projects cover a broad spectrum of climate protection activities: from the development of long-term strategies to concrete assistance and investment support measures. This diversity guarantees good ideas. The National Climate Protection Initiative helps to anchor climate protection locally. Consumers, companies, municipalities, and educational institutions benefit from it.

Further information on the project sponsor's website