London School of Economics and Political Science is a research-led university in central London, UK, specialising in social sciences, law, and economics.
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LSE has a credible 7,099 tCO2e footprint with genuine 46% absolute emissions reductions since 2005, but holds £86 million in fossil fuel investments despite student divestment mandates. Supply chain emissions lack full quantification. Net-zero targets are science-aligned but unvalidated by SBTi.
London School of Economics And Political Science scores 56/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified September 2026.
That places London School of Economics And Political Science joint 34th of 847 companies scored, and joint 4th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
Where London School of Economics And Political Science sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, London School of Economics And Political Science is tied =4th of 67, with 3 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
HESA includes some Scope 3 categories (business travel, commuting, waste, water) but no verified total Scope 3 figure for LSE.
LSE urban campus has no agricultural, forestry or extractive operations.
LSE not water-intensive.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Emissions Trajectory (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (4/10, 4/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above London School of Economics And Political Science.
Manchester Met has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 65% since 2005 and publishes audited sustainability data annually.
See the breakdown →Lancaster has cut operational emissions 44% since 2005 and installed significant renewable capacity, but recycling collapsed to 28% from 72%, masking weak resource management.
See the breakdown →LJMU has achieved genuine absolute emissions cuts (65.5% since 2005) backed by statutory HESA data and ISO 14001 verification.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 12 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
7 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions (Kg CO2e), 2023/24 — HESA Estates Management Record, Table 3”
“Annual Sustainability Report 2023/24 — LSE Sustainability Team”
“The Scope 3 pathway assumes a reduction aligned to an SBTi 1.5-degree approach.”
“LSE has reduced its carbon footprint by 1,783 tonnes of CO2 in the first year of its energy efficiency programme.”
“Work is now also complete on the electrification of the Cheng Kin Ku building…replacing them with more sustainable air source heat pumps.”
“agreed there would…be a full review of the School's ESG Policy, which guides the School's investment practices.”
“The LSE community voted for a portfolio focused on forest conservation projects, for their additional positive impacts on biodiversity.”
“Sustainable and inclusive economic and social development crucially depends on nature and biodiversity.”
“LSE holds more than £86 million in companies profiting from the extraction and/or distribution of fossil fuels, including BP and Shell.”
“Research from the students suggests that LSE is not committing to its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies, despite assurances from the School.”
“"LSE has started estimating carbon emissions linked to international students travelling and hope to be able to report these soon."”
“The open data publication HE Provider Data: Estates Management includes data on…water consumption, waste, recycling, transport, and environmental management.”
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London School of Economics and Political Science is a research-led university in central London, UK, specialising in social sciences, law, and economics. LSE operates a non-residential urban campus and hosts the Grantham Institute for Climate Change Research.
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