The campaign highlights the vital role universities play in addressing climate concerns, helping students find climate-positive careers, and leading research on environmental change.
Date: 28 April 2022
London Metropolitan University is proud to support the Universities UK’s Climate Action campaign, which highlights the role of higher education institutions in improving environmental outcomes and how they are working to build a more sustainable world.
This comes as new research from Universities UK shows that just 44% of parents in London believe that UK universities are equipping students with enough knowledge about climate change, and only 31% of the public recognise the role of universities in researching the solutions to climate change.
Universities have a vital role to play in addressing climate concerns, helping students find climate-positive careers, leading research on environmental change, and working with local communities and the public to increase climate literacy.
London Met is reaffirming its commitment to tackling the ongoing climate emergency in support of the Climate Action campaign. Its commitment to sustainability has been highly praised, having reduced its carbon footprint by 78% during 2019-20 from a 2009 baseline figure, meeting its 2020 target four years early. By developing projects with staff, students, and the wider public, London Met continues to showcase its innovative approaches to environmental change.
One of these projects is the Rewild My Street campaign, founded by London Met lecturer Siân Moxon, which aims to combine architectural design and sustainability to help residents adapt their homes, gardens, and streets for wildlife.
In addition, the HomeGrownHouse initiative developed by London Met Associate Professor George Fereday has been widely recognised for research into sourcing sustainable timber for UK construction. The project was featured at the COP26 climate change conference, held in Glasgow in 2021.
Professor Steve West CBE, President, 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.”
