Emissions from government business travel decreased during the pandemic but are now increasing again and approaching 2019 levels. Last year, government agencies emitted 102 million tons of carbon dioxide from business trips. Compared to 2022, this is an increase of 12 percent.
“A sector where we can make a difference”
– If we want to reach the climate goals, emissions cannot continue to increase every year. After all, they have to decrease and quite sharply, says Lisen Schultz, sustainability researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
The transport sector currently accounts for a third of Sweden’s greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reach the climate goal of no net emissions in 2045, emissions from transport in Sweden need to be reduced by 70 percent over the next six years.
– It is a sector where we can make a difference, says Lisen Schultz, sustainability researcher.
Universities on the list
The authorities themselves report the figures for their emissions to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which publishes them next week. TV4 Nyheterna has already taken note of them and can state that among the ten authorities that emit the most from business trips, there are six universities.
– There is much more to do, but we want to be a top international university and we will continue to fly in the future, says Per Mickwitz from Lund University.
The list of the ten authorities that emit the most from short air travel, i.e. trips of less than fifty miles, includes three universities. The worst of them is Umeå, which last year released almost 900,000 kilos of carbon dioxide from short flights.
– It is a lot. It is extremely important for us to conduct high-quality research and education, but also to reduce the climate impact of our operations, says Hans Wiklund, University Director at Umeå University.
He points out that the university has nevertheless reduced flying, increased train travel and digital meetings since 2019.
– Compared to before the pandemic, we have reduced our air travel by 40 percent, says Hans Wiklund.
Promotes climate-smart alternatives
Lisen Schultz also highlights making the train more reliable, public transport better and even more digital meetings as things government agencies must do now.
– Authorities must have a policy that every time you are going to make a trip, you think about whether it really has to be made. We have to come up with the alternatives that make it possible to conduct research and government activities without releasing a lot of carbon dioxide, says Lisen Schultz, sustainability researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.