Our Climate Plan | Progress in the first year
Details of progress on delivering a sector-leading £174 million Climate Plan and meeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 have been published for feedback.
Colleagues now have the opportunity to comment on the Climate Plan progress report.
Launched 12 months ago, the Climate Plan maps out how the University will deliver its key commitments to our seven climate principles: reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero by 2030, achieving sustainable travel, supporting a net zero city, providing a sustainable curriculum, refocusing research and education, enabling responsible investment, and shaping institutional decision-making.
The plan says: “The climate crisis is the most significant challenge the world faces. The science is clear and we are committed to getting our house in order.
“The ambitious road laid out by our Climate Plan will be a challenging one. We have put systems in place that will regularly review our progress, to assess whether we need to correct or alter our course, and to identify opportunities to push our ambition further.”
The Priestley International Centre for Climate was commissioned to review the work completed so far and planned next steps.
Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, chairs the Climate Principles Programme Board set up to oversee the plan’s implementation. He said: “I would like to thank everyone working on delivering the plan for their efforts over the past year and I encourage you to provide feedback on our progress and opportunities for future development.”
Of the overall £174 million investment, £150 million is being put towards achieving 2030 net zero goals.
Ann Allen, Director of Campus Innovation and Development and executive lead for the net zero principle, said: “Since joining the University this summer, I have been struck by the passion and dedication of the large team delivering this ambitious target. We should be under no illusions about the challenges ahead of us – overcoming them will require perseverance, innovation and a willingness to adapt as we navigate the path to net zero.
“As with any project of this size and complexity, there are areas where we are ahead of schedule and areas where we are behind, but we have already achieved a huge amount. Importantly, we are on track with the detailed design and review stage, which is a complex and critical element to delivering our future plans effectively.
“I am committed to moving this forward and want to make sure we keep sharing more updates on our progress. I hope everyone who reads this report thinks about their own contributions and, if you think there is anything else we should be doing, please let us know.”
Feedback on the progress report will be considered by a Research Partnership Committee of academic staff from the University and elsewhere. Its analysis will then be presented to the Climate Principles Programme Board to inform next steps and the future delivery of the plan.
You can give your views via a feedback document (Word) until 5pm on Wednesday 9 November.