Draft for institutional review November 2026
University of Tunis El Manar
Climate Action Plan 2027 to 2030
The plan sets out how UTM can reduce campus emissions, prepare for climate risks and work with Tunisian communities and public institutions. It builds on the university’s climate policy, net zero roadmap and existing projects, including ENIT’s energy retrofits, the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis water living lab and research in the Bizerte lagoon. [1–3, 5] Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and regional partnerships can support training, research and delivery. [12–16]
Emissions baseline
2016 historical
36,689
tCO₂e a year
Reference year
2023 published
24,525
tCO₂e a year
33.2% lower than 2016
2026 provisional
23,653
tCO₂e a year
35.5% lower than 2016
The 2024–2026 series contains modelled values. Use 2023 as the published comparison point while reconciling recent activity records. Scope 3 represented 74.2% of the 2023 footprint within the reported boundary, making mobility and other indirect sources a priority for measurement. [1–2]
Priorities for 2027
Confirm who owns the inventory and project budgets. Verify recent emissions data, map heat, water scarcity and flood exposure, and select the first campus and community projects with the people who will use or operate them.
Decisions requested
Designate an executive sponsor and institutional leads, approve preparation of a costed 2027 work programme, and authorize stakeholder consultation. Submit the 2030 emissions targets for approval once the baseline and project estimates have been reviewed.
Status. The 2027–2030 period, assignments and milestones are proposed. External roles depend on agreement with the partners concerned.
01 / Governance
Governance and policy
Use UTM’s published climate policy and sustainability structures to give each action an accountable lead, a budget decision and a route for escalation. [2, 6]
| Proposed lead | Decision or responsibility | Review |
|---|---|---|
| University leadership | Approve the plan, inventory boundary, targets and annual budget priorities. Decide on unresolved risks and projects requiring capital. | Annual approval |
| Sustainability leadership and committee | Coordinate delivery with SDG ambassadors. Review project performance, resolve gaps between establishments and prepare the annual public report. | Quarterly review |
| Deans and establishment directors | Nominate an operational lead and a data owner. Deliver site projects and sign off on the evidence submitted. | Quarterly updates |
| Finance and procurement | Check lifetime costs, funding and tender requirements. Record approved spending and operating responsibilities. | Each budget and tender cycle |
| Students staff and community representatives | Bring issues to the committee and review proposals for accessibility, local impact and uptake. Record how feedback changes decisions. | At least twice a year |
Policy changes to put into practice
Use the existing climate policy to guide updates to building and equipment standards, sustainable purchasing, business travel, water management, waste and events. Set a named owner and review date for each policy. Consult affected users, publish the approved text and check implementation through selected tenders, site records and travel approvals.
Budget and project selection
Rank projects by expected emissions reduction or risk avoided, lifetime cost, accessibility and readiness. Each proposal should name the funder, delivery lead and maintenance owner, with a way to verify results. Combine operating budgets for routine improvements with capital allocations or external funding for larger projects.
02 / Mitigation
Campus emissions reduction
Start with actions that can be verified through utility and operational records. Use ENIT’s Med-EcoSuRe solar and retrofit experience and the university’s existing food waste and materials initiatives to guide work at other sites. [1, 3–4]
| Workstream | Proposed action and lead | Milestone and measure |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings and energy Scopes 1 and 2 | Facilities and ENIT. Audit high-use sites, improve heating and cooling controls, assess rooftop solar and prioritize insulation and efficient equipment. | 2027 audit and site shortlist. 2028 first projects. Track fuel, grid kWh, solar kWh and kWh per m². |
| Mobility and travel Scopes 1 and 3 | Facilities and student services. Survey commuting, audit accessible routes with transport operators, trial improvements and adopt travel criteria that consider rail and remote participation. | 2027 baseline. 2028 pilot. Track mode share, travel passenger-km, fleet fuel and associated tCO₂e. |
| Purchasing and materials Scope 3 screening | Procurement and IT. Screen spend for material emissions sources. Pilot lifetime-cost criteria and supplier evidence, equipment repair and reuse, and paper reduction. | 2027 spend screening. 2028 pilot tenders. Track supplier data coverage, eligible tenders and equipment reused. |
| Dining waste and wastewater Scope 3 screening | Campus services and dining operators. Weigh food waste, test purchasing and portion changes, document collection routes and reconcile wastewater data. | 2027 measurement. 2028 trial. Track food waste per meal, waste by treatment route and wastewater volume. |
Emissions targets and accounting
The 2027 target proposal should specify absolute Scope 1 and 2 reductions, an updated Scope 3 boundary and targets for material categories with usable data. Compare each target with a reconciled base year and a costed set of projects. Explain any baseline restatement when methods or boundaries change.
Screen new Scope 3 categories before adding them to the inventory. Report improvements in data coverage separately from changes in emissions. Record project savings with their method and uncertainty, then reconcile them with the university inventory.
03 / Adaptation
Climate resilience and local partnerships
Use UTM’s water, lagoon and biodiversity work to develop practical responses to heat, water scarcity and flooding. Coordinate with national and local stakeholders in areas shared with Tunisia’s NDC 3.0, especially water, agriculture and ecosystems. [2, 5, 7]
| Priority | Proposed delivery and partners | Evidence by 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat and campus access | Facilities and student services map hot classrooms and routes with students, staff and disability representatives. Consult municipalities, health services and civil protection on shade, cooling and response arrangements. | Heat risk map and response protocol. Record high-risk spaces addressed and feedback on access. |
| Water and drought | FST and facilities use the PRIMA SAVE Water living lab and UTM’s agreement with the General Directorate of Water Resources. Engage water operators and farmers on leak checks, efficient irrigation and field demonstrations. | Water baseline, leak register and pilot results. Track m³ used and feedback from growers. |
| Flooding and biodiversity | Campus teams and municipalities map drainage and flood exposure. Build on campus planting and the Bizerte lagoon work with the National Agency for Environmental Protection, researchers and local associations. | Priority drainage checks and a maintenance plan. Track plant survival, corrective work and partner feedback. |
| Community outreach | UTM teams and local partners co-design demonstrations, training and public sessions with schools, community groups, farmers and small businesses. | Record participation, partner feedback and the actions adopted after follow-up. |
How partners shape the work
Invite the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to review the programme annually. Seek technical input on campus energy audits from the National Agency for Energy Management (ANME). Convene municipalities, operators and civil society around specific site or community projects. Document each agreed contribution, the intended beneficiaries, who will maintain the intervention and how participants can raise concerns. Share summaries in French and Arabic where appropriate.
UTM’s agreements with the General Directorate of Water Resources and the Environment Research Centre of Annaba, and the documented Bizerte collaboration, offer starting points. The additional roles proposed here require partner confirmation. [2, 5]
04 / Education research and innovation
Students research and innovation
Connect teaching and research to climate problems that campus services, public authorities and communities can help define and test.
Student clubs and applied learning
Invite student clubs and associations to co-design projects with establishment leads. Build on the FST event organized by OSIRIS with the Centre for Research and Energy Technologies and UTM’s cross-border circular economy hackathon. Offer supervised projects on energy audits, food waste, water monitoring and campus shade. Give student representatives a place in project review and track which ideas advance to trials. [2, 4, 8]
Research and publications
Use the UNESCO Chair on Water, Waste and Energy at ENIT, the PRIMA SAVE Water living lab and the Bizerte lagoon research network to frame research calls and student dissertations. Maintain a climate collection through UTM’s research structures platform with DOIs, accepted manuscripts where permitted, and reusable methods or data where appropriate. Ask teams to publish short French and Arabic briefs for practitioners. [2, 5, 9]
| Research evidence | Application for the plan |
|---|---|
| Saidi et al. Groundwater vulnerability mapping in Chebba–Melloulèche. [10] | Use the methods as a starting point for discussion with water partners on vulnerability mapping and local monitoring. |
| Wakkaf et al. 2022 Seasonal microplastics in Bizerte lagoon sediments. [11] | Use the study to inform discussions of sampling design and seasonal monitoring with lagoon partners. |
Pathway from prototype to adoption
Use the University Pole for Innovation and Technology (PUIT-UTM) to match teams with facilities staff, municipalities, associations or businesses. Each trial should have a user, a measurable outcome and an agreed test period. Review field results, affordability and maintenance before deciding whether to extend the pilot. Track completed trials, repeat use and adoption by partners. [9]
05 / Partnerships and funding
International partnerships and funded projects
Use existing projects to develop climate skills, test solutions and share findings with public authorities and communities. Treat new partner contributions as proposed until the scope and responsibilities are agreed.
| Programme or partner | Documented work or status | Proposed use in this plan |
|---|---|---|
| Erasmus+ | UTM reports mobility with partners including the University of Salerno. Its capacity-building projects include WE4LEAD on inclusive leadership and HYGEIA on cybersecurity and data governance in health education. [12–14] | Use future exchanges for climate teaching and campus placements. Apply lessons from the projects to inclusive governance and safe handling of health data. |
| Horizon Europe | UTM in SUS-SOIL on agroecological soil management and TRANS-SAHARA on North African agroforestry and the links between water, energy, food and ecosystems. [15] | Co-design field demonstrations, student research and policy briefs with growers and public agencies. |
| Other European and Mediterranean projects | PRIMA SAVE Water links FST and Tunisia’s water authority. ENIT worked with MEDREC on EU-supported Med-EcoSuRe. GEL GINTEL Bizerte connects UTM researchers with ANPE and lagoon stakeholders. [2–3, 5] | Transfer methods from water monitoring, building retrofits and lagoon governance to suitable sites. |
| Mediterranean and bilateral networks | UTM works with the University of Palermo and other partners through MARE, and with Zwickau University of Applied Sciences through the DAAD green engineering project. [12] | Develop joint teaching, placements and green engineering workshops. Explore regional dissemination with the Union for the Mediterranean. |
| WHO and health partners | WHO provides heat–health guidance. UTM collaborates on the Africa Health Security Index with partners including Brown University’s Pandemic Center, NTI, Economist Enterprise, the Science for Africa Foundation and the University of the Witwatersrand. [16–17] | Seek WHO input, through Tunisia’s health authorities, on heat preparedness and climate-sensitive surveillance. Draw on UTM’s health-security experience. |
| UN-Habitat Tunisia | An agreement with UTM linked to the UN-Habitat ISCI-MENA Chair was reported as being finalized in October 2026. The Chair brings together UN-Habitat Tunisia and Université Gustave Eiffel with the École des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris. [18–19] | Subject to agreement, work with municipalities on heat and flood risk, accessible public space and local SDG indicators. |
Partnership and funding register
The cooperation office and sustainability leads should maintain a shared register of partner contacts, project status, funding and co-funding, deliverables and evidence of local uptake. Review it quarterly with the relevant establishment and community partners.
06 / Delivery and accountability
Milestones and public reporting
The proposed milestones give UTM a basis for assigning work and checking progress while it finalizes its emissions targets.
| When | Proposed milestone | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|
| First 90 days after adoption | Confirm the sponsor, establishment leads and consultation schedule. Compile an action register and inventory data request. | Approved responsibilities and work programme. |
| By end of 2027 | Reconcile available 2024–2026 data, review Scope 3 coverage, screen campus climate risks and submit costed 2030 targets and pilot projects. | Inventory with methods and data gaps, campus risk register and decisions on proposed targets. |
| 2028 to 2029 | Deliver the first campus and community pilots, publish annual results and extend projects with evidence of benefit and an identified maintenance owner. | Project records, public progress reports and decisions on extension. |
| 2030 | Compare outcomes with approved targets. Review progress with establishment leads and partners and use it to prepare the next plan. | Public evaluation and a new set of priorities. |
Proposed 2027 delivery checks. Each establishment names a lead and submits a data return. The university completes an initial heat, water and flood screen for each site in scope and publishes one annual progress update.
Annual indicators and data owners
| Owner | Core indicators |
|---|---|
| Facilities and campus services | Fuel, grid electricity and solar generation, water use, buildings screened for climate risks, priority risks addressed and food waste per meal. |
| Procurement and student services | Supplier data coverage, compliant tenders, commuting mode share, and club projects completed or adopted. |
| Research and partnerships | Peer-reviewed outputs with DOI, open access, policy briefs, partner adoption of pilots, proposals submitted and funding awarded. |
| Sustainability coordination | Annual tCO₂e by scope, reporting coverage, data quality and status of each action against its milestone. |
Publish an annual summary on UTM SHINE. Identify the source, boundary, method and status of each figure. Show actuals, estimates and targets separately. Record actions that are delayed and who will resolve them. [1, 6] Review the partnership register at the same time.
07 / Evidence base
Sources and project references
The sources below document UTM’s emissions history, existing activities and institutional context. The actions and milestones in this plan are proposals for review.
- UTM Scope 1 2 and 3 Emissions and Net Zero Tracking Report 2016 to 2026
Historical summaries, provisional figures and documented campus actions. - UTM SHINE SDG 13 Climate Action 2026
Climate policy, roadmap, water security, UNESCO Chair and regional cooperation. - ENIT energy demonstration and retrofit
UTM rooftop photovoltaic installation and Med-EcoSuRe building pilots. MEDREC retrofit summary - UTM SHINE SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production 2026
Circular economy hackathons and institutional resource policies. UTM report on campus dining and materials - UTM SHINE SDG 14 Life Below Water 2026
Bizerte lagoon governance, research and living lab activities. - UTM SHINE Climate Action Plan
Published strategy, carbon reduction policy and committee references. - Tunisia NDC 3.0
National contribution and adaptation priorities in the UNFCCC registry. - UTM SHINE SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy 2026
Clean-energy research, student events and campus actions. - UTM SHINE SDG 9 Industry Innovation and Infrastructure 2026
Research structures platform and University Pole for Innovation and Technology. - Saidi et al. Groundwater vulnerability mapping
Coastal aquifer study using GIS-based methods. DOI 10.1080/19443994.2013.855663. - Wakkaf et al. 2022. Seasonal patterns of microplastics in the Bizerte lagoon
Peer-reviewed sediment study. DOI 10.1007/s11356-022-21129-6. - UTM SHINE SDG 17 partnerships, Erasmus+ mobility, MARE and DAAD
- UTM WE4LEAD cooperation with CAWTAR
- National Erasmus+ Office Tunisia project record for HYGEIA
- European Commission CORDIS SUS-SOIL and TRANS-SAHARA
- WHO heat–health action plan guidance
- Brown University Pandemic Center Africa Health Security Index
- La Presse de Tunisie on the ISCI-MENA steering committee and UTM agreement
- ISCI-MENA Chair on the JDID urban project