University of Glasgow attends pivotal Global Sustainable Transition Summit
Published: 17 March 2025
Professor Iain McInnes, Vice Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, represented the University of Glasgow at the Sustainable Markets Initiative flagship ‘Terra Carta Roundtables & Exhibition’, held at Hampton Court Palace on the 10th and 11th March 2025.
Professor Iain McInnes, Vice Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, represented the University of Glasgow at the Sustainable Markets Initiative flagship ‘Terra Carta Roundtables & Exhibition’, held at Hampton Court Palace on the 10th and 11th March 2025.
Marking five years since His Majesty King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, founded the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), the central message from the summit was clear: sustainable transition is the growth story of our time.
The global summit – which saw 400 CEOs, innovators, government and political leaders from across the world come together – set out the economic case for a transition to a sustainable future, showcasing investment by the private sector over the past five years and outlining increased ambition and accelerated action towards 2030 and beyond.
Joining a select panel of global health leaders from industry, academia and multilateral institutions, Professor McInnes spoke at the Summit’s ‘Global Health Systems in Transition’ plenary. This considered the fundamental connections between human, planetary and economic health, alongside the at-scale solutions across education, R&D, energy, materials, transportation and buildings needed to make healthcare systems more sustainable.
Discussion also included the European Network on Climate & Health Education (ENCHE). Chaired by the University of Glasgow and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and leading healthcare organisations through the SMI Health Systems Taskforce, the network of 25 European universities is aiming to equip more than 10,000 medical students with the knowledge and skills to respond to the impacts of climate change on human health and deliver more sustainable healthcare. Founded by leading medical schools across Europe, ENCHE will integrate climate and health teaching into curricula to help medical students recognise, prevent, and treat the increasing burden of the climate crisis on public health, as well as deliver sustainable healthcare solutions.
Across the two days of the Summit, 25 exhibits also showcased groundbreaking innovations, 19 roundtables discussed the delivery of system level change, and 16 plenaries explored the business opportunity ahead, building on the trillions of dollars already invested since 2020. In 2020 His Majesty King Charles III, then The Prince of Wales, said, “The 'Terra Carta' offers the basis of a recovery plan that puts Nature, People and Planet at the heart of global value creation – one that will harness the precious, irreplaceable power of Nature combined with the transformative innovation and resources of the private sector.”
Deriving its name from the historic Magna Carta, the Terra Carta is SMI’s ten-year mandate serving as a practical roadmap for the private sector to contribute to the world’s 2030 targets for Nature, People and Planet. The Summit also celebrated the SMI’s Astra Carta which seeks to ensure that humanity’s journey to the stars has sustainability at its core.
Professor Iain McInnes, who has recently joined the SMIs Health Services Task Force as an Advisor, said: “It was a privilege to attend this pivotal summit and hear about the creative and innovative responses being developed across industry and the globe towards a more sustainable future. Climate change is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of our time and it is only through this level of investment and concerted action can we rise to the challenge.
“From the spread of infectious diseases to increasingly deadly climate events such as heatwaves and floods, we are already seeing the direct health impacts of climate change and increasing demands on our health services. We also know that those that have contributed the least will be the most affected, widening inequalities further. This is why within the College of MVLS we have made ‘Planetary Health’ and ‘Health Inequalities’ two of our four overarching ‘College Futures’, ensuring a continual and concerted focus on these interrelated priorities across our research, innovation and education. It is vital that we work together with industry, governments and those most affected to develop the innovative solutions needed to mitigate these threats and ensure we are focused on the best outcomes for people and the planet."
Dr Camille Huser, Deputy Head of the University’s Undergraduate Medical School, who co-chairs the ENCHE network with Professor McInnes explained: “The climate crisis is a health crisis, but solutions exist. Sustainable healthcare can be achieved through integrated collaborations, and the ENCHE network has already identified six initiatives which we are going to be working on together in the first year, to ensure faculty and students receive the education they demand.”
Commenting on the event, Jennifer Jordan-Saifi MVO, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “The transition to a sustainable future is the growth story of our time. Yet to seize it, we must redouble our efforts, be bold with our ambitions, embrace new technologies and drive tangible business opportunity around the world. This takes courageous leadership from the world’s top CEOs, across every industry and sector. It also takes a new brand of private sector diplomacy where the private sector presents concrete solutions to help governments achieve meaningful transition results. Unprecedented economic growth, industry development, trade, investment, jobs, and skills are within our reach. The SMI is the global platform for public and private sector leaders to get deals done.”
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 17 March 2025