Freie Universität Berlin and the State of Berlin entered into a new climate protection agreement on April 9, 2018. Despite already having lowered its CO₂ emissions since 2001, the university committed to reducing its emissions of climate-damaging carbon dioxide by another 10% by 2027.

This intended reduction would mean saving another 4,250 tons of CO₂ compared to 2016. A pivotal component of the agreement is the integration of sustainability aspects in teaching, research, and knowledge transfer. The document was signed by Provost for Administration and Finance Dr. Andrea Bör and University President Professor Dr. Peter-André Alt on behalf of the university. Stefan Tidow, Secretary of State for the Environment and Climate Protection, signed on behalf of the State of Berlin.

In 2011, Freie Universität Berlin became the first university in Berlin to enter into a climate protection agreement with the State of Berlin. This agreement included mostly on-campus climate protection measures, which were to be implemented between 2011 and 2015. In addition to continually optimizing buildings and operational technologies and introducing an internal incentive system for energy savings (Bonus Scheme), the first agreement focused on implementing the Green IT Program (adopted in 2010) and introducing university-wide Online Energy Monitoring.