Published Progress – SDG13 (17.3.13)

Public reporting on university progress and performance related to SDG13 (Climate Action).

Introduction:

Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) has positioned itself as a national leader in advancing climate action, resilience, and low-carbon development, in alignment with SDG 13 Climate Action. The University integrates climate-risk management, renewable-energy adoption, carbon-performance monitoring, and adaptation initiatives across operations, research, and community outreach.

Through the Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC), AAU ensures that all climate-related indicators, including emissions data, renewable-energy performance, adaptation measures, and educational programs, are systematically collected, verified, and publicly shared through the Sustainability Portal, Annual Sustainability Report, and Executive Sustainability Report.

Between 2023 and 2025, AAU achieved major milestones in institutional climate action, including:

transitioning to 100% solar-powered campus electricity;
achieving 37% renewable-energy generation relative to annual electricity demand;
implementing climate-resilient infrastructure and smart energy-monitoring systems;
expanding environmental education and climate-awareness programs; and
ensuring transparent public reporting across all climate-performance indicators.

This comprehensive framework ensures that AAU’s climate commitment is evidence-based, externally verifiable, and publicly accessible, directly contributing to UN SDG 13 targets (13.1–13.3) and Jordan’s National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (2023–2030).

Centers and Departments:

January
01

1. Sustainability and International Ranking Center (SIRC)

Coordinates all SDG 13 data and verification.

Publishes carbon neutrality and climate-resilience progress.

January
01

2. General Supplies and Services Department

Implements energy and waste reduction projects.

Provides emission data and operational monitoring.

January
01

3. Faculty of Engineering

Leads research on renewable energy and climate technologies.

Publishes applied studies on climate mitigation.

January
01

4. Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research

Conducts research on clean energy and carbon reduction.

Reports findings to SIRC for inclusion in public reports.

January
01

5. Deanship of Student Affairs

Organizes awareness campaigns and environmental education.

Publishes participation data and outreach outcomes.

January
01

6. Marketing and Communications Unit

Disseminates climate reports and sustainability achievements.

Ensures transparency and stakeholder access.

Activities:

January
01

1. AAU Sustainability Report 2024–2025

AAU’s Sustainability Report 2024–2025 provides comprehensive data on greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy, and climate resilience measures.
It publicly demonstrates the University’s verified achievement of net-zero operations, directly contributing to SDG 13 and SDG 7.

January
01

2. Executive Sustainability Report (SDG 13 Section) 2024–2025

The Executive Report highlights AAU’s decarbonization pathway, renewable-energy expansion, and climate adaptation programs.
It provides transparent data on energy transition and carbon neutrality, aligning with SDG 13 targets (13.1–13.3).

January
01

3. Faculty of Engineering Scientific Day on Climate and Sustainability

AAU’s Faculty of Engineering hosted a Scientific Day addressing sustainable energy systems, climate resilience, and infrastructure innovation in collaboration with the Jordan Engineers Association.
The event strengthens local climate dialogue and supports SDG 13 and SDG 9.

January
01

4. AAU Tree Planting and Arbor Day Celebration

AAU celebrated Arbor Day with large-scale tree-planting initiatives to enhance green coverage and absorb CO₂ emissions.
This climate adaptation measure promotes biodiversity and urban sustainability under SDG 13 and SDG 15.

January
01

5. Smart Campus and Energy Dashboard Initiative

AAU implemented a Smart Energy Dashboard that monitors solar generation, consumption, and emissions reduction in real time.
This system ensures continuous monitoring, transparency, and verification aligned with SDG 13.2 and SDG

Impact Evaluation & Development Plan

A . Performance Evaluation

1.Progress Toward a Net-Zero Carbon Campus

AAU has fully transitioned to renewable, solar-based electricity, with on-site PV systems generating:

- 2,587,379 kWh (annual solar production)
- 2,281,968 kWh (annual electricity demand)
- 37% renewable-energy coverage

This eliminates reliance on fossil-fuel-based electricity and significantly reduces the campus carbon footprint.
AAU is currently completing the University-wide carbon inventory required for a formal Net-Zero Carbon Declaration, which will be published upon final verification.

2. Climate-Risk and Resilience Planning

AAU integrates climate-adaptation and resilience measures into campus planning, including:

- heat-mitigation landscaping and shaded pedestrian pathways;
- water-efficiency and reuse systems supporting resilience during drought;
- storm-water and flood-management measures aligned with Jordan’s climate risk assessments.

These actions strengthen AAU’s capacity to adapt to projected climate impacts in the region.

3. Climate Education, Research, and Awareness

AAU actively promotes climate literacy through:

- Faculty of Engineering Scientific Day on Climate and Sustainability;
- lectures, workshops, and student-led climate campaigns;
- integration of sustainability and climate modules within academic programs;
- research projects addressing renewable energy, climate adaptation, environmental design, and low-carbon systems.

These initiatives support SDG 13.3 by enhancing institutional and community understanding of climate challenges and solutions.

4. Sustainable Infrastructure and Smart-Monitoring Systems

AAU operates an integrated system of:

- real-time solar dashboards,
- smart Building Management Systems (BMS),
- energy-efficiency controls for lighting and HVAC systems, and
- regular energy and emissions auditing.

These systems enable transparent monitoring of energy generation, usage, and climate-action performance.

5. Transparent Public Reporting

All climate-action indicators—including renewable-energy data, efficiency performance, climate-education activities, and adaptation outcomes—are:

- verified by SIRC,
- reviewed by the University Presidency, and
- published through:
  - AAU Sustainability Report 2024–2025,
  - Executive Sustainability Report (SDG 13 Section),
  - AAU Sustainability Portal.

This ensures full alignment with THE Impact Ranking standards for SDG 13 public evidence.

B. Development Actions

Action 1: AAU Carbon Monitoring Dashboard

Public dashboard displaying real-time carbon-emission data, renewable-energy performance, and offsets.
Target: Launch 2026; quarterly updates.

Action 2: Climate Education Expansion Program

Introduce new climate-resilience and sustainability courses and workshops across faculties.
Target: 10 new modules integrated by 2027.

Action 3: Regional Climate Adaptation Research Cluster

Strengthen cross-sector collaboration on adaptation studies in water, energy, urban resilience, and agriculture.
Target: 5 new applied-research projects per year; open-access publication of results.

Action 4: Green Mobility Initiative

Transition campus transportation to electric systems and expand EV charging stations.
Target: 100% transition by 2028.

Action 5: AAU Climate Resilience Partnership Platform

Collaborate with municipalities, NGOs, and international partners on climate-resilience projects.
Target: 3 regional agreements signed by 2027; annual impact summaries published.

C. Benchmarking & Best Practice

AAU benchmarks its climate-action reporting and governance against global leaders, including:

University of Cambridge (UK)
University of Melbourne (Australia)
KAUST (Saudi Arabia)

These institutions are recognized for their transparent open-access climate reporting, renewable-energy integration, and climate-policy leadership.

Adopted Best Practices:

public carbon-performance disclosure;
integration of renewable-energy metrics into sustainability reporting;
cross-sector collaboration for national climate resilience;
linking climate action with teaching, research, and community outreach.

Localization to Jordan’s Context:

AAU aligns all climate-action initiatives with:

Jordan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs),
National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (2023–2030),
National Green Growth Plan,
Energy and water-security priorities.

This ensures that AAU’s global best practices support national climate priorities.

Future Goal (by 2028):

Establish the AAU Climate and Resilience Observatory, a national hub for climate data, open-access research, policy briefs, and public-education tools supporting SDG 13 and SDG 17.

Institutional Integration Summary

At Al-Ahliyya Amman University, governance of SDG 13 Climate Action is coordinated through a multi-unit system led by SIRC.
Data on emissions, renewable energy, adaptation projects, and climate education are collected from the Facilities Department, Faculty of Engineering, research centers, and community-engagement units.

These datasets are:

verified for accuracy by SIRC,
• reviewed by the University Presidency,
• published through official sustainability channels.

This transparent workflow guarantees that AAU’s climate-action achievements are evidence-based, verifiable, and publicly accessible, fully aligned with UN SDG 13 targets (13.1–13.3) and Jordan’s National Climate Strategy (2023–2030).

Through this integrated model, AAU has embedded a university-wide culture of climate responsibility, renewable-energy leadership, and community resilience, directly advancing SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).