UZH will become climate neutral – University of Zurich reduces air travel
University of Zurich reduces air travel
By 2030, the university will reduce the number of air travel by UZH members by at least 53 percent.
UZH aims to be climate neutral by 2030, with at least 50 percent of emissions being reduced through its own measures. When, as the UZH announced on Wednesday. Flying is a heavy burden on the environment, and that’s where the leverage should be applied.
So far, air travel has had the most negative impact on UZH’s eco-balance. In 2018/2019 it accounts for around 35 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
During the pandemic it became clear that there is a lot of leeway as to what purposes you really need to fly, says environmental psychologist and sustainability expert Somara Gantenbein in the UZH newsletter. So flight emissions have decreased by 76 percent compared to 2018/2019.
“From an ecological point of view, it would be a missed opportunity to return to the old state,” says Gantenbein. UZH members should consider more consciously which flight they think is really important in order to conduct good research.
According to Gantenbein, the most effective measure to achieve the reduction targets set is to book fewer long-haul flights; these are responsible for 84 to 89 percent (2018/2019) of flight emissions at UZH. Every single long-haul flight avoided is a gain.
Other possible measures would be to choose the most efficient airlines, to fly economy only or to introduce an incentive tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
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