The prestigious Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are out, and UK universities have made a strong showing on the climate.
The University Impact Rankings assess how universities are making progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These are a set of 17 global goals designed to make the world a better place.
ENTRNCE is particularly interested in goal #13, Climate Action. And it is here that the UK excels. There are 25 British universities ranked in the top 100. No other country in the world comes close to that total. (Australia is a distant second with 12.)
Many of the UK universities in the global top 100 have a strong track record in climate research and advocacy. Ranked #13 in the world is the University of Exeter, known for its research on climate tipping points. At #20 is the University of Reading, which partnered with the IPCC on its crucial 2021 report. And at #31 is the University of Sussex, home to the world-famous Tyndall Centre for Climate Research. All have contributed to public understanding of the climate threat, and it makes sense for their actions to be in line with that.
Climate-informed choices
But there is another reason for universities to take serious action on reducing their own emissions: students care. Sustainability is a key factor for prospective students when choosing where to study. In fact, 79% of students say that environmental strategies are an influencing factor. Different studies say the same thing: the climate is very high on students’ priority lists. Even in 2021, as more lockdowns loomed, students judged the climate a more urgent worry than COVID. Many even say that it is affecting their mental health. Yet institutions tend to underestimate the scale of the concern, with only 48% understanding how important the climate is to students.
To attract the best and brightest, universities need to show they’re serious about reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. ENTRNCE has recently helped Oxford Brookes University explore routes to 24/7 carbon-free energy. It may seem ambitious – but it is emerging as the gold standard of the future and a goal to move towards.
The first step is to get your genuine Clean Energy Score from our Matcher platform. This analyses how well an organisation’s current energy consumption is met by renewable sources. Many organisations are disappointed by how low the score is – but it serves as a genuine starting point, rather than the misleading claims of “100% renewable” tariffs.
Then you can use the Matcher’s powerful modelling functionality to simulate the outcomes of different investment decisions and find out what will have the biggest impact on your carbon footprint. It’s the start of a clear roadmap to 24/7 clean energy. To stay ahead of the competition, other universities will need to follow their example. Why not start today and watch the impact on next year’s Impact Rankings? For a demonstration of how the Matcher can help with your university’s emissions strategy, get in touch.
