Survey reveals only one in four parents think universities are doing enough to quip students with knowledge around climate change
Just days after the Department for Education launched a sweeping new sustainability strategy that promised to beef up climate change's position in the curriculum, a new coalition of universities has launched a new campaign to highlight the measures the higher education sector is embracing in a bid to prepare students for 'purposeful, climate-positive careers'.
The new MadeAtUni campaign features a set of case studies which aim to demonstrate the "remarkable breadth of ways that universities are actively tackling the climate emergency through their research, business and community interaction", as well as efforts to equip every graduate with a level of ‘climate literacy', regardless of subject they study.
For example, the campaign showcases how the University of Sheffield is working with fuel cell developer ITM Power on plans to open a brand new Gigafactory in the city, The University of St Andrews is working on a project with Transport Scotland to convert a 40-year-old train into a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain, and the University of Leeds is working on a project to restore 3,000 acres of wildlife habitats in the Yorkshire Dales.
The campaign has been endorsed by Universities UK and a number of celebrities, including model and activist Lily Cole who wrote a foreword to the report in which she argues that Universities have an "important and multifaceted role to play" in the response to the climate crisis by "educating the next generation; influencing policy makers; tackling their own emissions; and through their unique capability to drive critical research".
Alongside the new report, the Universities UK today released the results of a survey that suggests there is significant demand for universities to ramp up their climate-related activities and courses.
Just 44 per cent parents of 16- to 18-year-olds believe that UK universities are equipping students with knowledge about climate change, and just under half of parents recognised that universities are researching solutions to climate change, with only a quarter thinking they communicate to the public about their efforts.
The survey also found 64 per cent believe that going to university would equip their child with skills and knowledge that can help make the world a better place, and 70 per cent think a university degree is essential for those contemplating a career in tackling climate change. And given the opportunity, more than one in three UK adults would consider higher education as a route to upskilling to realign their career with efforts to combat the climate emergency.
Professor Steve West, President of Universities UK, said: "We need urgent and ambitious climate solutions and must ensure future generations are given the chance to build the careers they need to tackle this emergency head on. Universities are crucial to this. A university education can make all the difference in equipping students with the knowledge and skills to help them to make a positive impact on the planet, whatever path they choose."
