Emission and its driver analysis for the United Kingdom higher education institute.

UK emissions of carbon dioxide declined from around 600 million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) in 1990 to 367 MtCO2 in 2017, and in June 2019, the UK Government legislated an update of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target to attain ‘net zero’ by 2050. Meeting this ambitious target will require a drastic reduction in UK carbon emissions, with any remaining emissions being offset by extracting an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. As a large sector of the UK economy, higher education (HEI) must contribute to the reduction in its carbon emissions if the Government’s ‘net zero’ by 2050 target is to be met. The aim of the study is to analyze the factors driving the emissions in the UK HEI from 2014 to 2019. The study investigates the key drivers for emissions using correlation analysis, ratio analysis, and factor analysis. It also aims at determining whether the UK HEI can meet the 2020 milestone of a 43% reduction in emission with 2005 as the base year.