Oxford Archaeology's Carbon Reduction Plan

Climate change is no longer just something we investigate and piece together through the evidence we uncover in our work, but is a very real threat to the natural world and to human societies. Irreplaceable heritage all over the world, as well as in Britain, is affected by rising temperatures, pollution, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. As archaeologists, we have a responsibility to play our part in limiting the impact of climate change.

For all these reasons, we have adopted our first Carbon Reduction Plan, developed together with Spring Environmental. Our aim is to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, at the latest. Our first steps along this road are set out in the plan which covers the 3-year period to 2027. 

We will:

• Work to improve the energy efficiency of our offices and adopt renewable energy wherever possible;
• Improve our transport options to reduce emissions from fuel;
• Support colleagues to adopt active travel and reduce emissions from their commute;
• Reduce emissions from the work we do and ensure our purchasing practices support this;
• Work with partners in construction and infrastructure to reduce emissions throughout the supply chain. 

Working in partnership is a fundamental part of reducing our emissions and improving the performance of the sector as a whole. After all, this challenge is too big for one organisation alone.