The University of Plymouth is spearheading a drive by UK universities to take the lead in addressing the climate emergency.
Professor Judith Petts CBE, the University's Vice-Chancellor, has led the development of a new set of climate commitments endorsed by 140 universities and released ahead of the COP26 conference.
Published today by Universities UK, the commitments support government aims to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035.
They include a pledge to champion the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Accord, while a number of universities are introducing COP26 scholarships to ensure the brightest and best talent can develop into the climate leaders of tomorrow.
Vice-Chancellors are calling on the government to acknowledge this in the forthcoming Spending Review by match-funding these awards and ensuring the overall role of universities in climate action is not constrained by budget cuts.
For over a century, UK universities have led pioneering research into the causes and effects of climate change, and shared their expertise with government, businesses and local communities.
As detailed in the new Universities UK report, they have also made great strides in making campuses sustainable and are investing in the future by equipping students with the knowledge, skills and climate literacy the world needs to find solutions to the climate crisis.
In April this year, the University of Plymouth was named as one of the top 25 institutions globally for its performance against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
It has consistently won national and international awards for its work to maintain a sustainable campus, and to pioneer innovative research and teaching aimed at reducing the impact of human activity on our planet.
Professor Petts added:
"The commitments universities are making are far more than simply touting our eco-credentials. But we need government to support sustainable funding for the sector rather than further cuts, and specifically we hope that they will recognise the opportunities of the COP26 scholarships. With stable funding UK universities will continue to pioneer approaches and provide the world with the science, skills, and talent needed to safeguard the future of the planet."
Top 10 sustainable university
We are ranked 9th in the world out of all the institutions featured in the tables for our efforts in support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal number 17: partnerships for the goals.
The University has established its position as an international pioneer in sustainability practices, research, education and engagement.
Supporting COP26 - United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021
The COP26 summit, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from 1-12 November 2021, will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on climate change.
The University of Plymouth is proud to be part of the COP26 Universities Network whose mission it is to ensure that the UK academic sector plays its role in delivering a successful COP26, in order to deliver a zero-carbon, resilient world.
We're a leading, award-winning university for sustainability
We have a strong strategy for sustainability, incorporating social economic and environmental principles that have been in place for nearly two decades.
We aim to have a sustainable campus and enable learning to research solutions to the world's most pressing sustainability challenges.
We also want to motivate the next generation of students to go out and tackle the sustainability challenges they'll find in their workplace.
