Decarbonising the Campus: Reflections from Melbourne and Hong Kong

Universities have made ambitious promises to achieve net zero emissions. But what does effective climate action on campus look like, and how can institutions secure the funds needed to upgrade their assets?

As more than 1,000 universities around the world grapple with the practical challenges of achieving net zero emissions, they can learn a lot from their partner institutions about effective climate action. In a session hosted in partnership with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) at the 2024 THE Global Sustainable Development Congress in Bangkok, the university presented two case studies showing how universities could accelerate climate action and move closer to net zero emissions.

John Thwaites, Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, and Yuan Xu, Associate Professor at CUHK, shared insights into their respective sustainability journeys. Their institutions may be tackling different challenges at different timescales – Monash University has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030, and CUHK by 2038 – but there are similarities in their methodologies and thinking about how to finance their transformations.

Monash has cut emissions by 58 per cent since 2018. The biggest challenge is heating the Melbourne campus in winter, which currently relies on gas. “Getting rid of that and electrifying it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which is the biggest challenge,” Thwaites said. Finance is a barrier to many net-zero ambitions. Monash has raised $400 million (£210 million) in low-interest climate bonds to fund solar power and refurbish its buildings.

Making buildings energy efficient is one of the biggest battles in cutting emissions. There are many ways to make sure our buildings and appliances are more energy efficient, Xu said. “We need more data and more smart meters. Without them, we can’t know what our options are.”

Xu urged universities to think creatively about climate economics. Investments in carbon-neutral measures, such as solar panels, are rewarded with lower emissions and increased cash flow as the institution becomes both a producer and consumer of energy, he said. “Even if you don’t care about carbon neutrality, you should do it,” Xu said. “You can save money, energy and, of course, emissions.”

CUHK struggled with a devastating typhoon in 2018. It had to assess the risks of climate disasters and plan accordingly. There are fundamental infrastructure challenges. Can Hong Kong build enough capacity to electrify its transportation system? “Without electricity, you don’t even flush a toilet,” Xu said. “So you want to make sure that when you have grid neutrality on campus, you don’t sacrifice the reliability and resilience of your energy system.”

Thwaites spoke of the power of easy wins, such as installing energy-efficient light bulbs in all university buildings, which could be paid for out of the university’s regular budget. By encouraging sustainable behaviors on campus, such as providing electric vehicle charging points and encouraging the use of e-bikes, universities could lead by example. “We can use what we do on campus as a way to drive change,” Thwaites said. Net zero emissions may seem far-fetched to many, but from the goods and services we buy to the infrastructure on campus, higher education has levers to take action on climate.

Dashboard:

• Laurie Pearcey, Associate Vice President, External Engagement and Outreach, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Chair)
• John Thwaites, Chair, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University
• Yuan Xu, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Find out more about the Chinese University of Hong Kong.