The University contributes to the climate work of the City of Turku by reducing our carbon footprint, conducting significant climate research, and by training experts with competence in sustainable development.
In 2018, the University Board decided that the University of Turku becomes carbon neutral by the end of the year 2025. The university has calculated its carbon footprint annually since 2019 and has been actively seeking ways to reduce it.
The University of Turku has made biodiversity and sustainability a multidisciplinary theme in its strategy and has also asses its biodiversity footprint. The University of Turku is also one of the founding members of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance coordinated by the University of Oxford.
The University of Turku has completed an estimate of the University’s carbon footprint. The largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are properties and travel, especially flights. In addition, the carbon footprint of laboratories and other experimental research was significant.