Higher Education must chart a shared path to net zero
This week Rebecca Powell and Shreejan Pandey of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia wrote about Universities Charting a Shared Path to Net Zero on the THE (Times Higher Education) site.
Universities, with their large campuses and populations, may contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, they also have the potential to be leaders in achieving net zero emissions. Unlike city authorities, universities have greater control over their environment, which allows them to make quick progress towards this goal.
To reduce emissions, universities can act as 'living labs'. They can test scalable solutions that can be implemented more widely later. They can develop campus microgrids and adopt renewable energy sources such as solar panels and biomass units. Other strategies include promoting sustainable travel, using zero-emission vehicles, and retrofitting buildings for greater energy efficiency.
It's also important that universities adopt circular economy principles. These principles include material recovery initiatives, practising responsible procurement, and implementing recycling and composting schemes.
Universities can play a significant role as change agents by providing education and research aligned with net zero goals. But, as Pandey and Powell note...
What’s been lacking in the decarbonisation journey is the ability to bring universities together to share best practices, resources and tools so that pioneers in the area can assist those just starting out. Now there’s a toolkit
Many universities worldwide have committed to reducing their carbon footprint. To support this process, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network has published a 'Campus Guide' (below) and an online toolkit for achieving net zero emissions. Monash University in Melbourne (home to the THE article's authors), is a key collaborator in the Network.
NOTE: UK Universities and Colleges should also be aware that this year the Royal Anniversary Trust published its “Accelerating towards Net-Zero” report, a roadmap for carbon reduction in Further and Higher Education institutions (see MabelPost 160223).
Sustainable Aussies lead the 'THE' Impact Rankings
Western Sydney University has claimed the number one spot in the fourth edition (2023) of Times Higher Education's Impact Rankings. This is the Australian University's second year in the top spot.
The THE Impact Rankings are the world's only assesment of universities' contributions to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The University of Manchester in the UK was second, followed by Canada's Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario).
The UK has the most universities in the top one hundred at 26. Australia was next, with 16, an impressive performance considering Australia's relative scale (the UK has more than three times as many Universities). Canada was third, with 15. The United States had just seven top one hundred entries; the highest ranking being Arizona State University at 6th (a consistently high performer that ranked second in 2022).
Monash University in Melbourne, Australia (key partners in the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network) has a world ranking of 21st.
A Thought for Friday (true everywhere)
