Best UK universities on environmental issues

Nottingham Trent University flies high in Green Rankings, but overall picture for British universities looks gloomy

November 23 2016

The People & Planet University League, published since 2007, ranks 150 UK universities on the basis of their green credentials, measuring both commitment and performance.

Topping the list (for the third time) is Nottingham Trent University, closely followed by the University of Brighton and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The reasons for Nottingham Trent’s commitment to carbon reduction go beyond the environment, with NTU’s environmental manager Grant Anderson stating that: “We think it will give our students an edge in their careers to have considered some of the environmental challenges they will face in their lifetime.”

Despite these spirited individual performances, as a whole the commitment of British institutions towards the environment looks shaky compared to previous years.

The study noted that less than a quarter of UK universities are on course to meet carbon reduction targets in the next four years, down from over 40 per cent in previous rankings. This is despite the fact that 42 institutions are already committed to divesting fossil fuel companies from future endowments.

People & Planet outlined the reason for these struggles as a reduced amount of government support and incentivisation, noting a decrease in the number of dedicated environmental staff at universities, as well as a reduction in government environmental initiatives since 2010.

People & Planet University League: UK universities ranked on environmental credentials

Rank	University	Environmental Class	Total Score (%)
1	Nottingham Trent University	1st	76.2
2	University of Brighton	1st	74.8
3	Manchester Metropolitan University	1st	73.8
4	Cardiff Metropolitan University	1st	73
5	University of Worcester	1st	72.8
6	Aston University	1st	71.4
7	City, University of London	1st	70.6
8=	Newcastle University	1st	68.2
8=	University of Gloucestershire	1st	68.2
10	Swansea University	1st	64.8
11	University of Bedfordshire	1st	64.7
12	Plymouth University	1st	64.3
13	De Montfort University	1st	64
14	London School of Economics and Political Science	1st	63.5
15	Keele University	1st	62.6
16=	University of Exeter	1st	62.1
16=	Royal Agricultural University	1st	62.1
18	University of Greenwich	1st	60.9
19	University of Bradford	1st	60.6
20	Bournemouth University	1st	60.1
21	Coventry University	1st	59.5
22	Edinburgh Napier University	1st	59.3
23	University of Leeds	1st	57.4
24	University of Bristol	1st	56.9
25	Soas, University of London	1st	56.4
26	University of the West of England	1st	55.8
27	University of Wales Trinity Saint David	1st	54.9
28	Glasgow Caledonian University	1st	54.6
29	University College London	1st	54
30	University of Leicester	1st	53.2

31	Birmingham City University	2:1	52.2
32	Sheffield Hallam University	2:1	51.9
33	University of Reading	2:1	51.6
34=	University of Edinburgh	2:1	50.8
34=	University of Warwick	2:1	50.8
36	University of the Arts London	2:1	50.7
37	Canterbury Christ Church University	2:1	50.1
38=	Cardiff University	2:1	49.2
38=	Bangor University	2:1	49.2
40	Anglia Ruskin University	2:1	48.3
41	University of Chester	2:1	46.7
42	Northumbria University	2:1	46.5
43	University of Lincoln	2:1	46.3
44	University of Central Lancashire	2:1	46.1
45	University of Surrey	2:1	46
46=	Leeds Beckett University	2:1	45.9
46=	University of Oxford	2:1	45.9
48	University of East Anglia	2:1	45.6
49	University of Westminster	2:1	44.6
50=	Royal College of Music	2:1	44
50=	Loughborough University	2:1	44
52	Lancaster University	2:1	43.7
53	Edge Hill University	2:1	43.5
54	University of Birmingham	2:1	43.4
55	Ulster University	2:1	42.8
56	University of Salford	2:1	42.5
57=	Queen’s University Belfast	2:1	42.3
57=	University of Cambridge	2:1	42.3
59	University of Derby	2:1	41.6
60	Oxford Brookes University	2:1	41.5
61	King’s College London	2:1	41.1
62	University of St Andrews	2:1	41
63	University of Portsmouth	2:1	40.7
64	University of Stirling	2:1	40.1
65	London South Bank University	2:1	39.9
66	University of Sheffield	2:1	39.8

67	Durham University	2:2	39.2
68=	Liverpool John Moores University	2:2	39
68=	Kingston University	2:2	39
70=	Queen Mary University of London	2:2	38.8
70=	University of Nottingham	2:2	38.8
72=	Southampton Solent University	2:2	38.7
72=	University of Winchester	2:2	38.7
74	Arts University Bournemouth	2:2	38.6
75	University of Chichester	2:2	38.5
76	University of Hertfordshire	2:2	38.4
77	London Metropolitan University	2:2	38
78	University of York	2:2	37.9
79	Middlesex University	2:2	37.7
80	York St John University	2:2	37.4
81	University of Sussex	2:2	37.3
82	Cranfield University	2:2	37
83	Birkbeck, University of London	2:2	36.7
84	University of Kent	2:2	36.6
85	Goldsmiths, University of London	2:2	36.5
86	University of the West of Scotland	2:2	36.3
87	University for the Creative Arts	2:2	35.5
88	University of Huddersfield	2:2	35.2
89	University of Wolverhampton	2:2	35
90	University of West London	2:2	34.9
91	Bath Spa University	2:2	34.8
92=	University of East London	2:2	34.5
92=	University of Southampton	2:2	34.5
94	Brunel University London	2:2	34.4
95	University of Northampton	2:2	34.3
96	Imperial College London	2:2	33.4
97	University of South Wales	2:2	33.3
98	University of Cumbria	2:2	33.1
99	Teesside University	2:2	33
100	Falmouth University	2:2	32.9
101	University of Essex	2:2	32.6
102	Buckinghamshire New University	2:2	32.5

103=	Glasgow School of Art	3rd	32
103=	Staffordshire University	3rd	32
105	Newman University	3rd	31.8
106	University of Bath	3rd	31.7
107	Harper Adams University	3rd	31.3
108	University of Aberdeen	3rd	31
109	University of Suffolk	3rd	29.1
110=	University of Manchester	3rd	28.4
110=	Aberystwyth University	3rd	28.4
112	University of Sunderland	3rd	28.3
113	University of Liverpool	3rd	28.2
114	Heriot-Watt University	3rd	27.9
115	The Institute of Cancer Research	3rd	27.5
116	Liverpool Hope University	3rd	27.4
117	Royal Academy of Music	3rd	26.7
118=	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	3rd	26.4
118=	The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	3rd	26.4
120=	Leeds Trinity University	3rd	25.7
120=	University of Dundee	3rd	25.7
122	Roehampton University	3rd	25.2
123	Queen Margaret University	3rd	25
124	St George’s, University of London	3rd	24.9
125	Robert Gordon University	3rd	24.2
126=	St Mary’s University College Belfast	3rd	24
126=	Royal College of Art	3rd	24
128	Guildhall School of Music and Drama	3rd	23.9
129=	Royal Holloway, University of London	3rd	23.7
129=	University of Glasgow	3rd	23.7
131	University of Abertay Dundee	3rd	23.5
132	Glyndwr University	3rd	23.4
133	University of Hull	3rd	23
134=	University of Strathclyde	3rd	22.8
134=	Open University	3rd	22.8

136	Bishop Grosseteste University	Fail	20.7
137	Courtauld Institute of Art	Fail	20.4
138	Rose Bruford College	Fail	20.2
139	London Business School	Fail	20.1
140	Norwich University of the Arts	Fail	19.6
141	Heythrop College	Fail	19
142	Writtle College	Fail	18.3
143	University of St Mark and St John	Fail	17.8
144	St Mary’s University, Twickenham	Fail	14.3
145	Royal Northern College of Music	Fail	13
146	University College Birmingham	Fail	12.8
147	Stranmillis University College	Fail	10.4
148	University of Bolton	Fail	9.5
149	Royal Veterinary College	Fail	7.1
150	Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance	Fail	6.8

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