As the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is currently being held in Belém, Brazil, eighteen Québec universities are reaffirming the climate emergency and the need to combine their efforts and expertise to meet this global challenge. This mobilization is part of a movement of enhanced cooperation, where higher education institutions play a central role in the transition to a resilient, equitable and low-carbon society.
As early as 2019, at COP25, the majority of Québec universities had signed the Global Declaration of Higher Education Institutions for the Climate, recognizing the urgency of profound societal change. This declaration was accompanied by three structural commitments:
- Achieve net-zero emissions by 2030, or no later than 2050;
- Strengthen research focused on climate solutions and skills development;
- Increase access to environmental education and sustainable development, both in curricula and in community initiatives.
Since then, Québec universities have intensified their actions with concrete and measurable initiatives, affirming their role as leaders and role models within their communities.
Inspiring initiatives for society
Notable achievements include:
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been significantly reduced through the implementation of energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, responsible resource management and eco-friendly building design strategies;
- Several universities have achieved net-zero emissions for Scope 1 and 2 emissions;
- Innovative training on climate change response and adaptation has been integrated into various university curricula;
- A series of free webinars highlighted the popularization of Québec expertise in climate change and illustrated the need to collaborate on climate action;
- Climate analyses and adaptation plans have been completed or are underway, supported by a common guide for assessing campus vulnerability;
- Responsible procurement clauses have been developed in a concerted manner in group purchasing, which has increased the transparency of the suppliers with which universities do business, particularly with regard to Scope 3 GHG emissions and the fight against forced labour;
- Responsible investment strategies have been adopted by institutions;
- A repository of good practices in digital sobriety is being developed, in order to guide actions towards a more sustainable digital technology in universities;
- The performance of Québec universities in sustainable development has increased significantly as part of the AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) international STARS certification.
Collective progress on Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
The universities that make up the Québec University Network for Sustainable Development (RUQDD) are currently working on a methodological guide for the quantification of indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are the most complex to measure. This guide, which will be published in the coming weeks, will be a major step forward in better accounting for indirect emissions that are linked to university activities but beyond their direct control.
Partnership-based university research at the heart of the transition
In Québec, universities play a leading role in generating knowledge and concrete solutions to better measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the climate crisis. Through multidisciplinary research teams, they explore innovative avenues in renewable energy, ecosystem adaptation, infrastructure resilience, climate justice and environmental governance. By fostering partnerships with communities, governments and businesses, university research actively contributes to Québec's socio-ecological transition and to the achievement of national and international climate targets.
Participating universities:
- École de technologie supérieure
- École nationale d'administration publique
- HEC Montréal
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique
- Polytechnique Montréal
- Université Bishop's
- Université de Concordia
- Université de Montréal
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université du Québec en Outaouais
- Université Laval
- Université McGill
- Université TÉLUQ
