Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: UKSKFAU
Start date : 01.12.2024
End date : 31.12.2027
Website: https://www.green-office.fau.de/klimaschutzmanagement/klimaschutzkonzept-wie-geht-es-weiter/
Implementation of FAU’s climate action plan
Through diverse measures towards greenhouse gas neutrality
The plan is in place – now it’s time for implementation. With the integrated climate action plan published in October 2024, Friedrich‑Alexander‑Universität Erlangen‑Nürnberg (FAU) has established a foundation for systematically reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions in the future. The annual amount of greenhouse gases emitted is to be significantly reduced in order to make an important contribution to climate action and to mitigate the negative impacts of the climate crisis.
A concrete target has been set to reduce indirect, non‑energy‑related emissions by 10% by 2035 compared to the base year 2022. This category includes, for example, the areas of procurement and mobility of FAU members. FAU has also defined reduction targets for direct emissions and for indirect, energy‑related emissions by 2035. Direct emissions arise, for instance, from the university’s own vehicle fleet and its own energy generation facilities, while indirect, energy‑related emissions result from purchased electricity and district heating. In these areas, FAU has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality, meaning that its activities will no longer lead to any further increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
Achieving these targets will require continuous climate action activities over the coming years. A key coordinating and organisational role in this context is played by the climate action manager at the Green Office – Sustainability and Climate Action. For the years 2025–2027, FAU receives financial support from the Federal Government in the form of funding through the National Climate Initiative. For the initial implementation phase, 17 out of a comprehensive catalogue of 84 measures have been selected to be realised by the end of 2027 at the latest. These measures cover all action areas. Examples include further expansion of solar energy, conversion of lighting to LED, extending the lifetime of IT equipment (e.g. through redistribution and refurbishment), and a planned information campaign on waste separation and waste reduction. At the beginning of the year, proposals were also jointly developed and communicated together with the climate action managers of other Bavarian universities and higher education institutions on how, similar to other federal states, a job ticket (Deutschlandticket Job) could be introduced for university employees.
To continuously monitor changes in greenhouse gas emissions and respond to any developments, the climate action management team will additionally prepare an updated greenhouse gas inventory each year and compare it with the agreed reduction pathway.
Since early 2025, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has been implementing its integrated climate action plan in a stepwise manner in order to substantially reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate neutrality in the long term. The climate action manager coordinates a portfolio of measures across key action areas such as energy, procurement and operations. These measures combine technical and infrastructural interventions with organisational and communication approaches. Through continuous monitoring, close collaboration with internal and external partners and transparent communication, FAU aims to live up to its role as a pioneer for climate action and contribute to national and international climate targets.