Consultation results
This page is a summary. The full report on the consultation is available as a PDF: Climate Change Strategy Consultation (PDF)
During January to March 2020, the Sustainability Working Group consulted with the university community about our Draft Climate Change Strategy.
We received over 1300 individual responses to the consultation, with lots of useful ideas and suggestions. Over the next few weeks, we will carry out a detailed analysis of all the feedback, which we hope to be able to share with you at the end of May. In the meantime, we wanted to share a summary of the headline responses to the consultation with you.
The data below demonstrate that a large majority of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the statements that were made in the survey and with the actions that were proposed, in order to address the climate crisis.
Summary of findings
Staff and students clearly expect UofG to play a leading role in tackling climate change, and supported action on a range of measures, including:
- broadening the scope of our carbon footprint to account for air travel by international students,
- reducing emissions associated with both business travel and everyday commuting,
- improving space utilisation
- the promotion of education for sustainability.
There was also support for the University’s proposal to ‘offset’ a proportion of its carbon footprint, however legitimate concerns were raised around the need to prioritise making changes to the way that we operate, and with regard to how offsetting might be carried out.
Thank you for taking the time to engage with this process; your views will help us to shape a final version of our climate change strategy and action plan, which we aim to publish during the summer of 2020.
Professor Dan Haydon and Dr David Duncan, Co-Chairs, Sustainability Working Group
Results of consultation
1. Role at UofG
We asked about your role at UofG, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| UofG Academic Staff | 422 |
| UofG Professional Services Staff | 424 |
| Student (all levels of study) | 459 |
2. College or University Services
We asked about which area of UofG you were associated with, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| University Services | 211 |
| College of Social Sciences | 246 |
| College of Science & Engineering | 268 |
| College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Science | 393 |
| College of Arts | 187 |
3. Campus Location
We asked about your campus location, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Other | 136 |
| Tay House | 28 |
| Queen Elizabeth University Hospital | 12 |
| Glasgow Dental Hospital and School | 8 |
| Gilmorehill | 985 |
| Garscube | 94 |
| Dumfries | 42 |
4. Our carbon footprint
We asked you whether UofG should play a leading role in tackling climate change by eliminating its own carbon footprint, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 5 |
| Strongly Disagree | 14 |
| Disagree | 13 |
| Neutral | 28 |
| Agree | 223 |
| Strongly Agree | 1022 |
5. Net-zero carbon date
We asked you whether UofG should set itself an even more ambitious net-zero carbon date than 2045 (currently the legally binding net-zero carbon target date for Scotland), and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 15 |
| Strongly Disagree | 36 |
| Disagree | 63 |
| Neutral | 92 |
| Agree | 291 |
| Strongly Agree | 786 |
6. Carbon footprint to include travel of international students
We asked you whether the scope of UofG’s carbon footprint should be expanded to include the impact of international students travelling between Glasgow and their countries of domicile, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 87 |
| Strongly Disagree | 79 |
| Disagree | 140 |
| Neutral | 151 |
| Agree | 383 |
| Strongly Agree | 459 |
7. Carbon offsetting
We asked you whether UofG should employ carbon offsetting in order to achieve a net-zero carbon position, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 71 |
| Strongly Disagree | 53 |
| Disagree | 89 |
| Neutral | 126 |
| Agree | 480 |
| Strongly Agree | 479 |
8. Space utilisation rates
We asked you whether UofG should improve space utilisation rates as part of the sustainability agenda, and numbers responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 44 |
| Strongly Disagree | 55 |
| Disagree | 62 |
| Neutral | 131 |
| Agree | 414 |
| Strongly Agree | 592 |
9. Reducing business travel
We asked you whether UofG should introduce measures aimed at reducing business travel, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 31 |
| Strongly Disagree | 54 |
| Disagree | 38 |
| Neutral | 81 |
| Agree | 332 |
| Strongly Agree | 757 |
10. Daily commuting
We asked you whether UofG should introduce further measures to reduce emissions from daily commuting, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 15 |
| Strongly Disagree | 50 |
| Disagree | 39 |
| Neutral | 94 |
| Agree | 351 |
| Strongly Agree | 736 |
11. Engaging and Empowering our Community
We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Engaging and Empowering our Community', and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 24 |
| Strongly Disagree | 21 |
| Disagree | 24 |
| Neutral | 90 |
| Agree | 396 |
| Strongly Agree | 762 |
12. Promoting Efficiency
We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Promoting Efficiency', and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 23 |
| Strongly Disagree | 14 |
| Disagree | 14 |
| Neutral | 80 |
| Agree | 403 |
| Strongly Agree | 755 |
13. Governance and Policy
We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Governance and Policy', and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 44 |
| Strongly Disagree | 19 |
| Disagree | 25 |
| Neutral | 118 |
| Agree | 416 |
| Strongly Agree | 663 |
14. Continuous Improvement
We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Continuous Improvement', and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 27 |
| Strongly Disagree | 15 |
| Disagree | 11 |
| Neutral | 76 |
| Agree | 359 |
| Strongly Agree | 783 |
15. Building Resilience
We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Building Resilience', and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 55 |
| Strongly Disagree | 16 |
| Disagree | 21 |
| Neutral | 111 |
| Agree | 452 |
| Strongly Agree | 632 |
16. Divestment
We asked you about divestment, and whether there were other steps the University should take in addition to our current action to divest from fossil fuels.
Responses to this question were all qualitative and we will carry out an analysis of your feedback in the coming weeks.
17. Embedding education on sustainability and the climate crisis across subjects and programmes of study
We asked you whether UofG should make it a priority to include education on sustainability and the climate crisis across subjects and programmes of study, and numbers of responses were as follows:
| Column 1 | Responses |
|---|---|
| Don't Know | 13 |
| Strongly Disagree | 34 |
| Disagree | 27 |
| Neutral | 110 |
| Agree | 352 |
| Strongly Agree | 762 |
18. Additional comments
We asked you whether there was anything further you would like to say in connection with the University’s approach to climate change.
Responses to this question were all qualitative and we will carry out an analysis of your feedback in the coming weeks.
Related links
- Consultation results (full report): Climate Change Strategy Consultation (PDF)
- Draft Climate Change Strategy