Assessing the Environmental Impact of Top UK Universities: A Comparative Analysis of Carbon Footprints

Abstract

Carbon accounting is one of the decision-making instruments used today in corporations and institutions concerned with climate change and environmental conservation. This includes Higher Education Institutions (HEI), that set up green initiatives to reach sustainability goals. The results of this study suggested, that the overall carbon footprint of universities had been decreasing in the past 5 years, with some universities being affected by the pandemic as a setback more than others, which makes room for an investigation to find out the different approaches those institutions took to handle the pandemic. The findings of the study also revealed the disparity in the existing ranking systems.