{"id":133134,"date":"2021-11-22T15:05:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T14:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=133134"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:00","slug":"will-the-university-be-carbon-neutral-by-2024-we-shouldnt-be-too-fixated-on-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/11\/22\/will-the-university-be-carbon-neutral-by-2024-we-shouldnt-be-too-fixated-on-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the university be carbon-neutral by 2024? \u2018We shouldn\u2019t be too fixated on this\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climate change protesters want Erasmus University to keep its promise that it will be carbon-neutral by 2024. However, it seems the university has quietly decided to aim for 2030 instead. So what is that all about?<\/p>\n

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Rotterdam councilor Arno Bonte, who holds the climate portfolio, proudly stated in an opinion piece published in AD<\/em> on Wednesday<\/a> that thanks to the municipal climate agreement, Rotterdam had already reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by one million tons. He stepped into Greta Thunberg\u2019s footsteps by saying that \u2018the time for bla, bla, bla\u2019 was definitely over now and the time had come for genuine action designed to minimise climate change.<\/p>\n

Sustainability plans<\/h2>

Erasmus University was one of the signatories of the Rotterdam Climate Agreement in 2019. Among other things, the agreement stated that the campus would be carbon-neutral by 2024. However, no one is quite sure how the university is doing in that regard.<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s sustainability plans are outlined in a so-called \u2018Sustainable Campus Road Map\u2019. Among other things, this document describes how the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the on-campus catering services can be measured, how the university can make more use of local transport companies and how the university can promote business trips and daily commutes that don\u2019t involve major carbon dioxide emissions. It specifies a clear target: to have the campus carbon-neutral by 2024.<\/p>\n

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New target date<\/h2>

Earlier this month, University Rebellion, a group of activists affiliated with Extinction Rebellion, staged a protest against climate change on the Woudestein Campus. During the early stages of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit, the protesters wanted to \u2018sound the alarm regarding climate change\u2019. After a rather original protest action, they presented interested parties with their manifesto, in which they stated that they wanted the university to uphold its original ambition of getting the campus carbon-neutral before 2025, and that they were sorry that the university had decided to aim for 2030 instead.<\/p>\n

Many students and staff were not aware that the university had revised its target. We contacted the protesters to ask where they had found this information. They told us they had read it in an interview<\/a> with the Sustainable Campus Coordinator, Jan-Cees Jol, on the university\u2019s own intranet. Jol does indeed state in this interview that the campus will not be carbon-neutral until 2030.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Whether it will be realized exactly before 2024, that\u2019s not a main issue\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Not the most important matter<\/h2>

Jol understands why University Rebellion was confused and indignant, but is happy to explain why he mentioned a different target date in the interview. \u201cOur Strategic Plan 2019-2024 does not actually include a formal decision by the Executive Board stipulating that we must be carbon-neutral by that date.\u201d He goes on to say, \u201cWe should not get fixated on that 2024 target date. We will definitely be able to realise a smaller footprint, which is to say, reduced overall emissions. But whether we realise our exact target before 2024 is not the most important matter here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jol said that a great deal was being done to reduce the university\u2019s carbon dioxide emissions. \u201cWe have already made significant progress in the last year, and in addition to the targets specified in the road map, we\u2019re already looking at additional solutions, such as carbon-neutral new buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018It\u2019s tricky to focus on fixed dates.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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Jol said that a great deal was being done to reduce the university\u2019s carbon dioxide emissions. \u201cWe have already made significant progress in the last year, and in addition to the targets specified in the road map, we\u2019re already looking at additional solutions, such as carbon-neutral new buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

No serious calculations<\/h2>

Jol\u2019s colleague, Sustainability Programme Manager Mariecke van der Glas, agrees that the university\u2019s approach should not be judged on whether or not a target is attained by a certain date. \u201cIt\u2019s tricky to focus on fixed dates. As far as I know, no serious calculations were performed to determine how to get to zero emissions, but that doesn\u2019t mean that this is not our target.\u201d<\/p>\n

She goes on to say: \u201cThe fact that I can\u2019t say for sure whether we\u2019re going to attain our target is due to the fact that sometimes we lose sight of categories that should be included for a proper calculation. These are things that we would like to include in our calculations of our footprint. In the last few years, we\u2019ve made a point of including the catering services\u2019 emissions. Some other time, revisions may be made to some other category.\u201d<\/p>\n

Happy with the steps made<\/h2>

Van der Glas says that because of this, the way in which emissions are calculated often changes. \u201clf these numbers change, we must also be happy if we make progress in other important aspects, such as staff now being required to travel by train when going on business trips, even if we may fail to attain our target by a certain date. What matters is that we make progress, by implementing changes with respect to things that have a great impact. We\u2019re still committed to attaining carbon neutrality in the short term because this will keep people focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pandemic, too, has made it harder to measure the impact of the university\u2019s policies. \u201c2020 was an absolutely bizarre year,\u201d says Van der Glas. \u201cDue to the lockdowns, our total emissions fell rapidly, but this is making it hard for us to determine whether our new policies are effective. For this reason, we can\u2019t tell you either whether we\u2019re really on the right track for the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loss of face<\/h2>

Student and University Council member Bram Heesen does not entirely agree with the positions held by Jol and Van der Glas. He does not like the fact that they have let go of the 2024 target date. \u201cFailing to honour a commitment made to the municipal government will involve a loss of face for the university. If anything, the university should act as a guide to society in this matter. And it\u2019s pretty confusing that the various parties within the university don\u2019t seem to agree on the target date.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her part, Van der Glas disagrees: \u201cWe can demonstrate that we are making real and specific changes, and we\u2019re still committed to getting things in order by the year 2024. And because organisations and companies can never be entirely carbon neutral, we\u2019ll have to compensate for our emissions anyway, locally by planting trees on our campus, and also by means of special initiatives and projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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