The university's CO₂ emissions have fallen slightly. Energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings is paying off. Climate protection management sees further potential for savings.
The University of Oldenburg has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. An important basis for future decisions on this path is the comprehensive greenhouse gas balance sheet, which the university's climate protection management publishes every two years. It shows how effective the climate protection measures implemented on campus so far are and in which areas emissions can be further reduced. The current report for 2024 shows progress: The university's total emissions have fallen slightly.
In figures: 21,664 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents were recorded in the report for 2024, compared to around five per cent more in 2022 (22,888 tonnes). "The slight decrease in emissions shows that the measures implemented in recent years are working," explains Climate Protection Manager Anna Sarah Krämer. The figures for 2024 are slightly higher than at the beginning of the assessment in 2019: six years ago, the figure was 21,378 tonnes. However, this has to do with the fact that a new combined heat and power plant went into operation at the Wechloy site in 2021.
We have already achieved a lot, but we need to utilise further savings potential in order to take the next steps towards climate neutrality."
Jörg Stahlmann; Vice President for Administration and Finance
Even though emissions have fallen again since then: The overall level is still too high to be considered a CO₂-neutral university, says Jörg Stahlmann, Vice President for Administration and Finance. "We have already achieved a lot, but we need to utilise further savings potential in order to take the next steps towards climate neutrality," Stahlmann continues.
Renovating buildings and installing solar panels
According to the latest report, almost two thirds of the university's CO₂ emissions are caused by the energy consumption of its buildings - around 22 per cent of total emissions are attributable to electricity consumption and 41 per cent to heating with gas. Against this backdrop, two important building blocks on the path to climate neutrality are the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings and supplying the campus with renewable energy. The university has already achieved great success here: emissions in the area of building energy have fallen by 19 per cent compared to 2022.
This is due to numerous individual projects: Since 2024, for example, the university has been using waste heat from the Data Centre for heating, saving around 100 tonnes of CO₂ per year alone. The central library was equipped with a particularly energy-efficient ventilation system in 2025. The ring façade around the inner courtyard on the Wechloy campus was reglazed in 2023 to counteract heat loss. And this is set to continue: in 2026, for example, the façade and roof of building A10 will be insulated, windows replaced and PV systems installed.
New photovoltaic systems can now be found across the entire campus, for example on the roof of the library, the lecture theatre centre, the sports building and the NeSSy research building. "We are a pioneer nationwide in the expansion of PV systems on our own roofs, and even a leader in Lower Saxony," emphasises Krämer.
At the same time, there is still a lot to do: Numerous buildings are in an unrenovated state from the 1980s. "Although we are continuously implementing measures on a small scale, we can only succeed in the big picture if the state finally does something about the major renovation and modernisation backlog. If our university and other university locations are to remain functional and make a tangible contribution to the goal of climate neutrality set by the state government itself, additional investment is needed," demands Stahlmann.
The conversion of the energy supply will also be particularly relevant in the coming years, at the latest when the combined heat and power plants are phased out in 2030. "We have developed an energy concept that envisages a comprehensive heat supply with heat pumps," says Krämer. This is currently being finalised.
Making everyday mobility more climate-friendly
Climate neutrality cannot be achieved through technical measures alone. According to the report, another major area is everyday mobility. Projections for the university assume that it accounts for around 29 per cent of total emissions. This has recently risen: by around nine per cent compared to 2022 and by around 37 per cent compared to 2019. "This is due to the fact that more university members are once again using private cars to get to work," explains Krämer, referring to a mobility survey from 2024. Around 23 per cent of students and 43 per cent of employees regularly use their car to get to university. The majority of students (74 per cent) and employees (61 per cent) live less than ten kilometres from the university campus.
Against this backdrop, the university wants to create incentives to encourage more employees to switch from cars to sustainable modes of transport. One of many instruments would be the introduction of a car park management system with parking space management on the university campus, for which the Presidential Board has commissioned a review. University members are actively involved in this process, for example through information events and the mobility forum, which will take place on 19 March. "In combination with the promotion of climate-friendly travel options, parking space management can be an effective tool to reduce private car use and thus CO₂ emissions, increase space efficiency and pave the way for more sustainable mobility," says Krämer.
At the same time, the university wants to make cycling even more attractive. The university is waiting for the state to implement bicycle leasing for all employees. "We hope that the state will be able to implement this in 2026 as announced," says Krämer. After all, the University of Oldenburg has been certified as a bicycle-friendly employer since 2025 because it actively supports students and employees in "switching to sustainable mobility". 55 per cent of employees and 60 per cent of students already cycle to the Haarentor and Wechloy campuses. There are also a large number of bicycle parking facilities - with a total of 4,330 parking spaces.
