TOWARD A LOW-CARBON STRATEGY
One of the main focuses of the “Horizons” strategy is centered on the actions we have carried out for our campus – a sustainable campus providing a good illustration of our quest for exemplarity. This focus has given rise to the adoption of a low-carbon strategy aimed at reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adapting our campus to future environmental impacts and reducing other environmental impacts (notably biodiversity and resources).
WHY ADOPT A LOW-CARBON STRATEGY?
The increase in the concentration of GHG (greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere, notably CO2, has already caused more than 1.1°C of global warming compared to the preindustrial era and could reach +6 to +7°C by the end of the century (as a comparison, the last ice age was only 4 to 5°C colder than the preindustrial era).
The consequences of this sharp increase in temperatures are a danger for our society’s development. We must therefore limit our greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible to sharply reduce global warming.
For this, the French government has adopted a strategy (SNBC) and is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, with a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Internationally, the Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, seeks to keep global warming “well below 2°C compared to preindustrial levels and to pursue the actions carried out to limit temperature increases to 1.5°C.” These two agreements mean that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 5 to 10% per year (depending on the scenarios and the hypotheses) starting right away.
Well-aware of this observation, the first action taken by ISAE-SUPAERO was to measure its carbon footprint from its activities in 2019 in order to detect activities that emit high levels and identify the different levers that can be used to reduce this. The carbon footprint was measured over a broad range of items including international travel (students and staff), purchases, energy consumption, digital technologies, etc.
Under our carbon footprint strategy, we have identified six major items:
- Purchases
- Mobility
- Energy
- Food
- Digital technologies
- Fixed assets
In 2020, we quantified greenhouse gas reduction targets and undertook action plans to reach them:
- A mobility plan is being drawn up. The first part concerning home-work commuting should be published in the 1st quarter of 2021. The part dealing with the campus layout will be released in the 2nd quarter and the part corresponding to professional travel by the end of the year.
- Energy consumption: a large share comes from our heating consumption (connected to district heating). As we cannot take any action on the energy carriers used, an ambitious energy renovation policy, partially financed by the Stimulus Package, should be released by 2022. This energy renovation will also be combined with an energy efficiency approach.
- Digital technologies and purchases: action plans will be undertaken in 2021 for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions arising from purchases made and to stabilize those due to digital technologies. The approach we hope to apply will be based on the principles of energy efficiency.
- Food: we are actively working on our next contract (in line with the second) which will provide us with a significant reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions, notably by emphasizing plant proteins and fruits and vegetables that are in season.
The dynamics of our actions are constantly evolving and will be pursued in the coming years!