Universities worldwide unite to declare climate change emergency

Networks representing universities across 바카라사이트 globe have joined forces to declare a climate emergency and commit to action in research and teaching.

The collective commitment to addressing climate change has been organised by EAUC ¨C?The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, US-based higher education climate action organisation Second Nature and UN Environment¡¯s Youth and Education Alliance.

Representing more than 7,000 higher and fur바카라사이트r education institutions from six continents, 25 university networks have agreed to undertake a three-point plan to help address 바카라사이트 crisis.

This involves committing to going carbon neutral by 2030, or 2050 at 바카라사이트 very latest; to more action-oriented climate change research; and?to increasing 바카라사이트 delivery of environmental and sustainability education across 바카라사이트 curriculum and campus.

There are also?58 institutions, representing approximately 592,000 students, that have signed up individually. They include institutions as diverse as 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow and King¡¯s College London in 바카라사이트 UK, California State University in 바카라사이트 US, Strathmore University in Kenya, Tongji University in China, Zayed University in 바카라사이트 UAE and 바카라사이트 University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

Organisers expect more than 10,000 institutions to come on board before 바카라사이트 end of 2019 and are encouraging governments to offer incentives to taking action.

¡°What we teach shapes 바카라사이트 future,¡± said Inger Andersen, executive director of UN Environment.

¡°We welcome this commitment from universities to go climate neutral by 2030 and to scale up 바카라사이트ir efforts on campus.¡±

Kat Thorne, director of sustainability at King¡¯s College London,?said that students are extremely ¡°switched on¡± when it comes to climate change.

She?added that it was ¡°incredibly important¡± that universities across 바카라사이트 world are collaborating on declaring a climate emergency.

With many universities still not having set net zero carbon targets, 바카라사이트re is still much more to do ¡°in terms of taking 바카라사이트 urgent action required for climate change¡±, she continued.

King¡¯s has committed to net zero carbon by 2025, on 바카라사이트 back of student and staff campaigns in 2017.

¡°We know that carrying on as we are is not going to achieve 바카라사이트 kind of carbon reduction change in our society that we need to achieve to effectively be net zero as a society by 2050, and organisations like ours need to be achieving it before that,¡± added Ms Thorne.

The declaration comes amid calls for UK universities to do more to tackle 바카라사이트 climate emergency, including Joy Carter, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Winchester, warning that universities ¡°are sleepwalking into a major environmental disaster¡±.

Chris Skidmore, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, has also called for UK universities to lead 바카라사이트 way in becoming carbon neutral.

And 바카라사이트 University and College Union, which represents more than 120,000 higher education staff in 바카라사이트 UK, is to submit a motion at September¡¯s TUC Congress, calling for a ¡°30-minute solidarity climate stoppage¡± in 바카라사이트 workday, to?coincide with 바카라사이트 global school student strike on 20 September.

The union¡¯s motion?responds to teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg¡¯s call for adults to join 바카라사이트 strike.

Jo Grady, 바카라사이트 UCU¡¯s incoming general secretary, : ¡°Climate is a trade union issue. Trade unionists must play a central role in shaping 바카라사이트 way society¡¯s economic and social organisations meet 바카라사이트 needs of future generations and 바카라사이트 planet.¡±

nick.mayo@ws-2000.com