Carbon management at UofG – our strategic approach
Published: 3 November 2021
Co-chairs of the University’s Sustainability Working Group, David Duncan and Jaime Toney, update on work to reduce our carbon footprint
Dear Colleagues,
The University is proud to be supporting COP26 in Glasgow; we hope this will be a landmark moment in the global movement to combat climate change.
Here at the University, we are committed to decreasing our own carbon footprint, and I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you our progress to this point.
We were the first University in Scotland to declare a Climate Emergency, in 2019, and the following year we published our response to that emergency, ‘Glasgow Green’, which commits us to the ambitious target of achieving net carbon neutrality by 2030, in line with Glasgow City Council’s own target.
As the first phase of this work, Glasgow Green identified some specific areas where we might seek to make improvements, such as investing in the fabric of the buildings and seeking to exploit renewable sources of energy.
We have also put our response to the climate emergency challenge at the heart of the University’s overarching strategic approach, as a key pillar of the new University Strategy, ‘World Changers Together’. Embedding this agenda within our strategic plan is key to allowing us to adopt more sustainable practices in our day-to-day lives, helping us to make changes to our curriculum, research spaces and workplaces.
What’s next?
The next step in our journey to net zero is revising our Carbon Management Plan, to allow us to deliver against our 2030 ambitions. Where Glasgow Green sets out the options around reaching net zero, the Carbon Management Plan will develop a route-map to achieve it.
This is a hugely challenging and technical piece of work which will change how we work right across the organisation. Among other things, it will incorporate improvements to the efficiency of our existing estate and infrastructure, introduce new policy and procedures to increase efficiency and reduce waste, involve partnerships with local and national bodies, and require deeper engagement with our community to enable everyone to make a difference.
This work is already underway; we have begun to see tangible changes to our policy and procedures, such as the new guidance for sustainable business travel, which lays out recommendations for reducing emissions associated with travel for work, particularly by reducing our reliance on air travel.
Additionally, we have identified some key areas on which to focus our efforts so we can make a real difference to our carbon footprint, including how we heat our estate, increase energy efficiency in our labs and research spaces, and support more sustainable commuting and travel practices.
Community at the heart of our work
Through our research, the University is playing a role in the global fight against climate change, but a key strand will be the empowerment of our community at a practical level to help us achieve our carbon reduction targets.
The Centre for Sustainable Solutions is playing a vital role in leading this work, connecting different parts of the University to ensure a united approach to action, driving research and teaching in this area, as well as providing upskilling, training and resources for colleagues and students at the University.
We also engage closely with our student bodies through the GUEST programme and the SRC to ensure our students are involved, supported and recognised when delivering activity in this area. We are liaising with student-led groups such as the Green New Deal Coalition and are committed to reviewing and strengthening our strategy in the light of these discussions.
We have a community at the University which is influential and engaged in the climate change debate; this is evident in the number and quality of events taking place around the University during COP26.
As we move forward with our own plans as an institution, we would encourage all colleagues to get involved in these, either through the official COP26 Green Zone or the University’s own events. Together we can continue to make the changes to our University and contribute to the wider battle against climate change.
With very best wishes,
David Duncan
Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary
Professor Jaime Toney
Director, Centre for Sustainable Solutions
First published: 3 November 2021