Has the UK Government’s sustainability and climate change strategy delivered for universities?

This week, the Department for Education (DfE) published its sustainability and climate change strategy.

The strategy is an opportunity for education to make the greatest possible impact to address the climate and ecological emergency.

Sir David Attenborough has said that we must turn this climate tragedy into a triumph. It’s through educating our young people that we will develop the leadership, skills and research to do so.

Following the publication of the draft strategy at COP26, we set out three things the government’s strategy must do. Did the government deliver?

The draft strategy had a strong emphasis on what schools can do and was comparatively light on universities.

Two initiatives were at the heart of the draft strategy: a virtual National Education Nature Park to engage young people with the natural world, and a climate leaders award for young people. The new strategy includes a third initiative, focused on supporting leadership on sustainability.

Although the focus of the strategy is still on schools, the government has recognised the role universities can play in working with others to share their expertise and advance climate education.

Universities will support the launch of the National Education Nature Park by championing nature in their local communities and sharing expertise. They will also support schools and further education institutions to develop leadership on sustainability.

In the run up to COP26, we published UK universities’ shared commitments to set targets supporting the UK government’s target to achieve net zero by 2050. Some universities went further in their net zero commitments. All universities will report progress against their targets in a transparent way.

We welcome the fact that the strategy recognises the need for the government to support and facilitate reporting, rather than making this compulsory. A compulsory ‘one size fits all’ approach to target setting and reporting would not work. To begin with, the Estates Management Record (currently the main way of collecting this data) needs an urgent refresh to reduce the burden on universities.

We would welcome the opportunity to work with DfE and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as they develop guidance on monitoring and reporting carbon emissions.

We welcome the strategy’s recognition of the role of universities in:

• including sustainability and climate education (including green skills) in university courses
• improving and sharing best practice on teacher training
• partnering with others to support children and young people, including showcasing their existing net-zero buildings and campuses to inspire others to go further
• sharing their climate expertise internationally by participating in an International Green Skills Conference

Over the coming year, we’ll be boosting the support available to universities to meet their sustainability goals, including in the areas mentioned in the government’s strategy.

We can’t have ambition without action. Universities need funding to achieve the ambitious targets they’re setting.

The People and Planet University League is a difficult reminder of how universities differ on how they’re taking action – and how some lack the means to make the progress they aspire to.

The government’s announcement of a freeze in university tuition fees until 2024–25 not only means that income per student will continue to fall, but also that universities will face restrictions on how much they can invest in achieving net zero.

The government’s strategy does not address this lack of funding. It also does not match the funding that has been offered by universities for scholarships to develop the next generation of climate leaders. It’s a missed opportunity to combine the power of universities and government to create change.

We know that working together makes us stronger. Collaborating with others as part of the Climate Commission made this clear, and we will continue to support universities' efforts in the months ahead.

When COP27 arrives, we hope that our combined work will have led to a step change in the support offered to universities to achieve their ambitions.

Universities need support to take the action that we all wish to see – and that our planet needs.