Only one in 11 UK universities ‘very confident’ on carbon targets

Fewer than one in 10 UK universities are “very confident” they will meet government-set carbon emission targets, new research suggests.

That is at odds with findings showing that a vast majority of students reveal they want higher education institutions to have clear strategies for climate change.

In 2021, the UK government committed to reducing carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 to levels seen in 1990.

However, new research from law firm Shakespeare Martineau shows that just nine per cent (11 out of 116) of higher education institutions in England and Scotland are “very confident” of meeting their decarbonisation target.

Almost half of the respondents said they are “somewhat confident”, 36 per cent said they are not confident, and 6 per cent were unsure.

“Given how important sustainability is on the ESG agenda, it’s worrying to see that so many institutions are predicting to fall short in meeting their decarbonisation targets,” said Smita Jamdar, head of education at Shakespeare Martineau.

The firm also surveyed 1,000 16- to 19-year-olds planning on applying to college or university on the importance of sustainability.

It found that around three-quarters of prospective students would be influenced by the use of green energy to power campus buildings, and 79 per cent want institutions to have clear strategies to address climate change.

However, institutions themselves undervalued these factors, with just 48 per cent of higher and further education institutions believing that factoring climate change into decision-making would be important to prospective students.

More than three-quarters of them said funding or investment was the key reason holding them back from becoming a green campus.

“Becoming a green campus and hitting sustainability targets is not something that can be achieved overnight,” added Ms Jamdar.

“However, every institution, regardless of size, has measures within their remit that can help improve green credentials.”

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com