Climate Action

UNESA commits to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

■ INDICATOR 13.4.1-13.4.2

Commitment to carbon neutral university

Answer

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) has published a commitment to reach net zero emissions, with 2050 as its target horizon, in its statement Our Goals and Commitments: Target Zero Net Carbon Emission (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-b). The statement sets out planned steps through 2050, namely providing environmentally friendly electronic equipment, reducing emissions from transport vehicles and reducing emission leakage from electronic devices, together with an objective of reducing emissions by 50% in 2030 through more efficient equipment (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-b). The commitment covers Scope 1 and Scope 2: UNESA’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Program, listed in the same sustainability policy collection, sets out UNESA’s measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of Scope 1 and 2 (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a; UNESA SDGs Center, n.d.).

13.4.1 Published commitment to net zero emissions by 2050

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) has published a commitment to become a net zero emissions university, with 2050 as its target date. In its statement Our Goals and Commitments: Target Zero Net Carbon Emission, UNESA declares that, in line with Indonesia's efforts to carry out a clean-energy transition, it aims to achieve net zero emissions through steps planned up to 2050 (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-b). The statement is publicly available and is also accessible through UNESA's collection of sustainability policies (UNESA SDGs Center, n.d.).

The statement identifies three steps as important for achieving net zero emissions: providing environmentally friendly electronic equipment, reducing emissions from transport vehicles, and reducing emission leakage from electronic devices. It also sets an intermediate objective of reducing emissions by 50% in 2030 through more efficient equipment (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-b). The 2030 objective is an interim reduction goal; the target date for net zero emissions is 2050.

The commitment covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. UNESA’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Program, listed in UNESA’s sustainability policy collection as UNESA GHG Emission Reduction Program, opens by stating that it is UNESA’s programme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of “lingkup (Scope) 1 dan 2” [Scope 1 and 2] (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a; UNESA SDGs Center, n.d.). It groups the measures as stationary combustion (buying energy-saving equipment through the e-catalogue, including air conditioners, laptops with an energy-saving label, solar panels and automatic switches, and supplying only LED lamps), mobile combustion (bicycles and electric bicycles for the campus community, and encouraging Bus Surabaya and other public transport between campuses) and fugitive emissions (air conditioners and refrigerators with an energy-saving label) (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a). These three groups match the three steps of the net-zero statement, which names the same equipment and transport measures (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a; Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-b).

UNESA counts its carbon footprint on the same basis. The programme document calculates CO2 from purchased electricity (Scope 2) as annual electricity use in kWh multiplied by an emission factor, and CO2 from the campus shuttle buses, cars and motorcycles entering the university (Scope 1) from the number of vehicles, their trips and their daily travel distance inside the campus (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a).

UNESA is also putting in place monitoring and transport measures that support this commitment. Since August 2026, the University has begun environmental data recording through UNESA Smart Sustainability Campus (USSC), whose initial vehicle-monitoring interface records motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks and displays vehicle counts alongside emissions indicators in g/km (Directorate of Smart Sustainability Campus, 2026).

On campus, UNESA also operates electric-mobility initiatives that address the transport priority in its commitment: an electric-vehicle charging station (SPKLU), Migo electric motorcycles used in place of petrol-powered motorcycles, and electric golf cars that guests use to tour the campus in place of conventional vehicles. UNESA’s 2025 impact report records the Migo electric bike service and a public electric vehicle charging station among 18 environmentally friendly infrastructure items built with external partners, together with 57,868.35 m of bike and pedestrian paths that support low-emission mobility (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2026).

UNESA acts on the same steps in 2025 and 2026. On 8 August 2025 UNESA’s Director of Smart Eco Campus named carbon emission reduction as one of three focus areas of a benchmarking visit to IPB (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2025). On 6 April 2026 Rector’s Circular Letter No. B/44908/UN38.II/HK.01.01/2026 directed all staff and work units to set air conditioning at no lower than 25 degrees Celsius, to use electrical devices efficiently, to limit non-urgent official vehicles and encourage public transport, and to cut official travel by up to 50% domestically and 70% overseas (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Rector’s office, 2026). These steps build on UNESA’s Climate Action Plan circular No. B/60690/UN38/HK.01.01/2023, which sets a 20% yearly rise in solar panel energy use and a 10% yearly cut in electricity use (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2023).

13.4.2 Achieve by date

The year associated with UNESA’s published net-zero ambition is 2050. In Our Goals and Commitments: Target Zero Net Carbon Emission, the university describes steps planned through that year to advance its transition towards net-zero emissions.

The same statement includes an objective of reducing emissions by 50% in 2030 through more efficient equipment. That objective is an intermediate reduction goal. The published long-term planning horizon remains 2050.

The target covers Scope 1 and Scope 2: UNESA’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Program sets out the University’s measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of Scope 1 and 2, the same equipment, transport and cooling measures named in the net-zero statement (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.-a).

Figure 13.4.2. Extract from UNESA’s public net-zero statement, identifying actions planned through 2050. Source: UNESA, Our Goals and Commitments: Target Zero Net Carbon Emission, p. 1.

Evidence:

Directorate of Smart Sustainability Campus. (2026). UNESA Smart Sustainability Campus: Monitoring Lingkungan Kampus Universitas Negeri Surabaya [UNESA Smart Sustainability Campus: Campus environmental monitoring dashboard]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://ussc.hint-lab.id/

UNESA SDGs Center. (n.d.). Kebijakan tentang sustainability [Sustainability policies]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://sdgscenter.unesa.ac.id/page/kebijakan-tentang-sustainability

Universitas Negeri Surabaya. (n.d.-a). Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Program [PDF]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://statik.unesa.ac.id/profileunesa_konten_statik/uploads/sustain/file/d3e9a353-3bf7-48fe-81ea-c9470c7f41c3.pdf

Universitas Negeri Surabaya. (n.d.-b). Our Goals and Commitments: Target Zero Net Carbon Emission [PDF]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://statik.unesa.ac.id/profileunesa_konten_statik/uploads/sustain/file/919e0016-e2c8-44d0-bcb6-f531a04f10b1.pdf

Universitas Negeri Surabaya. (2023, July 31). Surat Edaran Rektor Universitas Negeri Surabaya Nomor B/60690/UN38/HK.01.01/2023 tentang Climate Action Plan di Lingkungan Universitas [Rector’s Circular Letter of Universitas Negeri Surabaya No. B/60690/UN38/HK.01.01/2023 on the Climate Action Plan within the University Environment]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://statik.unesa.ac.id/profileunesa_konten_statik/uploads/sustain/file/00db8ba5-7298-43c3-a1ad-98c62b8c0128.pdf

Universitas Negeri Surabaya. (2025, August 9). Unesa Benchmarking ke IPB terkait Penguatan Program dan Inovasi Berkelanjutan [UNESA benchmarks at IPB on strengthening sustainability programmes and innovation]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://unesa.ac.id/unesa-benchmarking-ke-ipb-terkait-penguatan-program-dan-inovasi-berkelanjutan

Universitas Negeri Surabaya. (2026, August 6). Laporan Dampak Sosial, Ekonomi, dan Lingkungan Universitas Negeri Surabaya Tahun 2025 [Social, Economic and Environmental Impact Report of Universitas Negeri Surabaya 2025]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya.

Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Rector’s office. (2026, April 6). Surat Edaran Nomor B/44908/UN38.II/HK.01.01/2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pola Kerja Pegawai dalam rangka Penyesuaian Penyelenggaraan Kegiatan Akademik di Lingkungan Universitas Negeri Surabaya [Circular Letter Number B/44908/UN38.II/HK.01.01/2026 on Adjusting Employee Work Patterns as Part of Adjusting the Delivery of Academic Activities at Universitas Negeri Surabaya]. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://statik.unesa.ac.id/s1pbing/file/467324f7-0bc8-4b60-aebd-0e0bb069e17d.pdf

Responsible unit: UNESA publishes this commitment through its SDGs Center sustainability policy collection (UNESA SDGs Center, n.d.) and records emissions-related data through UNESA Smart Sustainability Campus (USSC).

UNESA commitment to support SDG 13 achievement is reported at https://sdgscenter.unesa.ac.id/category/Climate-Action