Carbon Neutral Universities – Vision or Utopia ?
Abstract
Current German climate policy targets are aimed at a reduction of the whole buildings sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55 % until 2030 and at least 80 % until 2050, compared to the reference year 1990. According to the principal “leadership by example” in 2008 the government of Hesse decided to become carbon neutral already by 2030. Beside the whole federal state administration, this project includes the twelve public universities located in Hesse as well. One year earlier the same government brought up a comprehensive infrastructure program for its universities. Until 2020 an amount of three billion Euros will be invested to new and replacement buildings as well as in retrofits and refurbishments of existing ones. Up to now it is quite unclear whether and how these two programs support each other or if there is a conflict of interests.