Meetings and travels

Umeå University’s geographic location often leads to a need to travel by air. During the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly the entire amount (>99.5 per cent) of carbon dioxide generated by the university's business travel, emerged from air travel. It is a challenge to satisfy the needs for and value of meeting others without creating high emissions of gases that affect the climate.

The university’s environmental policy describes that the university must always work towards creating opportunities for travel-free meetings and that all necessary travels are primarily to be made through public transport, and as safe, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. During the pandemic, business travel decreased remarkably and online tools for web meetings were improved. Lessons can be learnt from this in the university’s endeavours to continue to improve the formats for and the increased use of sustainable meetings.

Commuting also has an important impact on the environment and climate, which is why the university, together with relevant stakeholders, should work to improve and develop the opportunities for sustainable travel to and from the workplace.

Follow-up of the targeted goals

Action plan for climate and sustainability contains the university's strategic goals and overall activities for the period 2021–2023. The results of follow-ups for the two targeted goals within the focus area of ​​meetings and travels, are reported here.

Goal 11. Climate impact from travels must decrease

As indicators for this goal, we have chosen "Carbon dioxide equivalents from business travel" and "Carbon dioxide equivalents per annual working hour". Here is how we the university is doing:

• Year 2018: 3,940 tonnes; 1,034 kg per annual working hour
• Year 2019: 4,097 tonnes; 1,067 kg per annual working hour
• Year 2020: 615 tonnes; 155 kg per annual working hour
• Year 2021: 378 tonnes; 94 kg per annual working hour

Goal 12. The use of web meetings must increase

Here, we have set "Number of meeting hours carried out digitally" as an indicator. From 2018 to 2021, the following change has taken place:

• Year 2018: 155,000 hours
• Year 2021: 5,000,000 hours