Theme 1: An Emissions-First Focus

MIC has an extensive built environment and operational footprint, including campuses in South Circular Road, Limerick and Cathedral Street, Thurles, that comprise of 11.5 hectares and 24.3 hectares, respectively (at the 2018 baseline). MIC recognises that it is a net contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and that it has responsibility to deliver effective management and mitigation of GHG emissions directly linked to our operations (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions).

In addition, indirect emissions (Scope 3) arise as a result of significant on-site waste generation and water use. The impact of travel to and from both campuses, on behalf of staff, students and College visitors is significant, and is a substantial source of GHG emissions which we further recognise and commit to addressing, in collaboration with key College partners where optimal.

In the sections that follow, the College demonstrates how it can exert significant impact in respect of the objectives underpinning the national targets for addressing climate change, particularly in relation to the UN SDGs and the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda. These are important and MIC, in particular, has a crucial role to play - not just as a higher education institution but, in particular, as a provider of both initial teacher education and professional development opportunities for practising teachers (along the continuum from early years, through to the primary system and on to the post-primary system).

However, the damaging effect of the baseline emissions of the College outweighs the positive strategic role it can play in other domains. For this reason, there must be an ‘emissions-first’ emphasis in CAR 2030 in order for the College to fulfil its obligations under the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate as well as the moral and ethical responsibilities that it has in the broader social and ecological contexts.

As the College’s first Climate Action Roadmap showed, MIC has been monitoring its carbon emissions since 2009. Since that time, during which the total reckonable floor area has more than doubled and student numbers increased by a factor of 1.64, energy performance targets set over a 10-year period were met.

As shown in the table below, the ‘glidepath’ target of a 30% reduction, overall, in energy usage consumption was reached by 2020, before the introduction of the SEAI’s new Public Sector Monitoring and Reporting System where the weight of carbon (and GHG equivalent) associated with energy usage became the metric used (the main reason behind this new approach was to promote the use of electricity and to decrease and eliminate the use of fossil fuels towards the glidepath target for 2030). MIC began its decarbonization journey with a detailed assessment of its emissions across Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions), and Scope 3 (supply chain, commuting, and waste). The baseline data identified the following critical sources of emissions:

• Heating systems: Reliance on fossil fuels such as imported gas, kerosene, and diesel remains a significant contributor to Scope 1 emissions.
• Electricity consumption: While partially mitigated through energy-efficient lighting and systems, Scope 2 emissions persist where grid electricity remains carbon-intensive.
• Campus operations: Activities such as procurement, waste management, and staff/student commuting contribute to Scope 3 emissions.

The new metric is particularly helpful in terms of differentiating between the emissions ‘Scopes.’ By resetting the baseline (to 2018) for calculating the targets required to meet the College’s contribution to the national target of a 51% reduction, a sub-total showing a new emissions ‘average’ (based on a 2016-2018 time-span) for both ‘Fossil’ emissions per kgCO2 (thermal and transport emissions) and ‘Electricity’ emissions per kgCO2 (energy procured from electricity providers whose GHGs become a factor in the calculation) can be combined in order to establish the institution’s total carbon footprint taken across its campuses. This new baseline for the 2030 target has been set as follows:

Since this baseline position was established, the College has commenced its decarbonisation strategy. Key deliverables set out in the previous iteration of CAR 2030 (2023), inclusive of the following, have all commenced with some already largely met.

In addition to these activities, the College has focused its efforts during routine maintenance, as well as planned summer works, on addressing the gap to target. In all, an 18.4% reduction in total emissions has been signaled by MIC in its Annual Report under the Climate Mandate using the SEAI Monitoring and Reporting Dashboard. The breakdown as follows is interesting because it shows a decrease of 75% within the overall reduction in electricity CO2 indicating the particular success of energy-related decarbonisation efforts:

In addition to the above, only zero emissions vehicles have been purchased by the College for its transportation requirements. This is in line with EU Directive 2019/1161 (the Clean Vehicle Directive). The College aims to go further by specifying within its procurement contracts that only zero-emissions vehicles should be used by contractors for delivery and haulage services. 

A more potentially intractable problem arises on foot of the ‘post-COVID” pattern of student engagement and the parallel structural issue caused by the dramatic reduction of proximal and affordable accommodation options for those living far from their domiciliary residences (see Figure 6, below). MIC and its Students’ Union (MISU) are partnering to analyse the scale and effect of these issues on both the quality of the MIC learning experience and on mobility patterns (and the concomitant emissions impact). MISU has been pioneering within the sector by conducting robustly constructed surveys of the MIC student cohort (and capturing an excellent sample size of almost 25% of the total student populace). A key finding made by MISU is that almost 20% of MIC students are commuting more than 50 kilometres per day. This is a vast increase over pre-COVID patterns of mobility and the environmental implications (as well as the negative connotations for student life) are obvious. MIC will continue to work with MISU to explore this new phenomenon and to identify ways in which adverse consequences can be eliminated or, at least, significantly mitigated.

Despite notable progress, MIC faces several critical challenges:

• Thermal Energy Projects: As most of the College’s major buildings approach 70-130 years since first construction (its main Thurles building is fast approaching 200 years), the retrofitting of aging heating infrastructure (and remediating energy loss through very old building fabric) will inevitably require substantial capital investment as well as on-the-ground technical expertise;
• Centralised Energy Management: The continued absence of a fully operational BEMS severely limits MIC’s ability to optimize energy usage within a relatively tight time-frame for rectification;
• Behavioural Change: Achieving sustained emissions reduction requires active participation from all segments of the College community across its campuses.

In response, MIC is addressing these challenges through:

• Strategic Investment: Prioritizing thermal projects in capital development plans.
• Capacity Building: Staff training in energy efficiency and sustainability practices.
• Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national agencies to leverage funding and expertise.

Opportunities to Meet the Challenge

As noted, MIC must now focus on decarbonizing its heating systems as a cornerstone of its sustainability efforts. A Register of Opportunities (see below) has been developed in order to inform continued refinement of CAR/MIC 2030 and identification as of precise targets for GHG emission reductions. Deriving from this register, key initiatives will include replacement of fossil-fuel-based heating systems with modern heat pumps in buildings such as Gerard House, the Franco-German Lodge, the staffroom and the Halla on the Limerick Campus, and the library space on the Thurles campus. Participation within a district heating network (DHN) is also being explored, with the aim of integrating heating systems across the Limerick campus to align with Limerick City Council’s plans for a city-wide DHN. This strategic project includes preparing piping and instrumentation diagrams (P & IDs) to integrate current heating systems into the future network. These efforts are complemented by retrofitting buildings with upgraded insulation for windows, doors and roofs to minimize thermal energy losses.

Renewable energy deployment will be central to MIC’s decarbonization opportunities. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are being expanded across both the Limerick and Thurles campuses, supported by funding models such as self-funding or energy-as-a-service arrangements where MIC purchases energy at a fixed rate before assuming ownership of the systems. The expansion of roof-top PVs will contribute significantly to MIC’s objective of transitioning to 100% renewable energy sources, in alignment with its sustainability goals, post-2030.

Other critical projects include upgrading fluorescent lighting systems with energy-efficient LED equivalents and integrating exemplar lighting controls to reduce electricity consumption further. These lighting enhancements, coupled with the implementation of a centralised Building Energy Management System (BEMS) alluded to above, will allow real-time energy monitoring and interactive control. This system will provide the data-driven insights required for optimising energy use and identifying areas for improvement.

Sources of funding for these opportunities have been identified, with the College investing from within its own resources where viable (including through routine maintenance and summer works schedules), and also targeting the SEAI SSRH programme, the Business Energy Upgrade Scheme, the SEAI EXEED Certified Grant Scheme where more appropriate, as well as assessing the suitability of the EsCO model.

These decarbonisation opportunities reflect a phased and multi-faceted approach to achieving MIC’s ambitious climate targets. By integrating advanced technologies, strategic heating systems, and renewable energy solutions, MIC is taking substantial steps to reduce its carbon footprint while enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of its operations. 

An additional and highly significant benefit for a research-performing organisation such as MIC is that its operational activities and any impactful innovation introduced can be assessed in terms of a ‘proving ground’ for more sustainable and efficient energy production and usage, especially unique initiatives the College may introduce such as installation of renewables on-site and at scale (the learnings from which can also permeate the curriculum within undergraduate and postgraduate offerings), the benefits of exploring financing options such as ‘green bonds,’ and partnerships with energy providers.