University of Warsaw
Environmental Report and Carbon Footprint Assessment
Finalist, 2030 Climate Action
About
The University of Warsaw is using its first Environmental Report as the backbone of a whole-institution net zero pathway. As the first university in Poland to join the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, UW committed to halve its carbon footprint by 2030. This goal has been embedded within the University’s broader institutional framework, including the published Climate Change and Sustainable Development Agenda, rector-level governance and the Smart Green University programme. UW’s 2023-2024 Environmental Report disclosed institution-wide Scope 1 and 2 emissions under the GHG Protocol, showing a 3.5% reduction year on year, alongside intensity indicators per m2 and per community member. The report serves as a management tool within the University’s broader institutional architecture, alongside the published Climate Change and Sustainable Development Agenda. It identifies the main sources of emissions, supports their verification and prioritisation, and provides an evidence base for mitigation, adaptation, and further work on Scope 3 emissions.
Top 3 learnings
- We learned that effective climate action requires shared responsibility, not just individual declarations.
- We learned that recurring carbon measurement turns climate action into a shared management priority.
- We learned that whole-institution change needs academic expertise, operational ownership and public transparency.
Sustainable Development Goal
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Award sponsor
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| 2026 | |
| 2030 Climate Action | |
| Finalist, International | |
