Our Carbon Footprint

DCU continues to monitor its carbon footprint while following the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Corporate Standard setting our organisational boundaries as well as our financial boundaries.  We then work to capture as accurately as possible our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. 

GHG Protocol model for DCU Carbon Footprint 

Each of us can help to reduce our organisation’s carbon footprint, whether in our personal choices or our work as students and staff. 

We have undertaken significant work to understand our carbon footprint, helping us to establish science-based targets and action plans to tackle it, more details can be found in our 2024 Carbon Footprint Report. 

Reducing our emissions

Along with the global risk to all of us, DCU specifically faces significant operational challenges due to the impact of the climate and biodiversity emergency in both the short, medium and longer terms. We must act accordingly and act across energy, water, waste and transport sectors. 

Did you know that on average over a quarter of DCU’s annual carbon footprint comes from staff and student commuting?

Before the pandemic started, some preliminary data from 2019 indicated DCU had effectively reduced its carbon emissions by 4pc, compared with 2018 data*. Without significant increased efforts, however, we can’t expect to sustain this level of reduction. 

We need to make urgent radical changes to how we operate if we are to reach our net zero (or zero carbon) targets.

While that will be challenging, DCU has shown it can implement radical change, not least during the pandemic. We must remember, however, that we’ll need greater and longer-lasting changes to meet the climate and biodiversity emergency.

The table below identifies operational science-based targets based on DCU’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. These targets indicate DCU must achieve a 4.2% annual reduction year on year to be aligned with the 1.5 degree scenario for 2030.