On a recommendation from the UTS Faculty of Science, the research community, and a huge push from our students, UTS signed the Climate Emergency Declaration in September this year.
This is not a hollow gesture. It heralds decisive action to respond to the climate crisis with the full commitment of the university’s resources and strategic direction appropriate to the severity of the crisis.
A group of academics recently stated in Times Higher Education: “Universities have a particular role to play when it comes to acting for the planet. As large institutions, universities’ carbon and environmental footprints are significant, and this alone should be a strong enough incentive to act. But, universities also have the responsibility to be honest with their students and prepare them for a changing climate because whatever jobs they seek after graduation will be fundamentally reshaped by an increasingly variable climate and frequent and unprecedented climate extremes.”
We have a responsibility to our students to equip them with skills and knowledge to prepare them for the future of work in an unstable world and a deteriorating climate.
We have also committed, under the Social Impact Framework and as part of the UTS 2027 strategy, to foster personal and social responsibility in our students. The people who are now in their teens and early twenties are the last generation with the chance to mitigate catastrophic climate change. Our planet needs them to be engaged citizens with the skills to use innovation, ingenuity and commitment to turn our emissions around.
Young people know this. They are the ones calling for more action. The Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion is proud to see UTS joining voices with students, calling for action while reducing our own carbon footprint.
By signing on to the climate emergency declaration, UTS is:
- committing to mobilise more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation;
- committing to working towards carbon neutrality;
- and pledging to increase the delivery of sustainability education across curriculum, campus and community outreach programs.
We are cautiously optimistic about the future that might come about. Responding to the climate crisis can and should be done in a way that enables social progress and reduces inequality, while creating jobs and enabling humanity to thrive.
“The transformational shift required to combat climate change offers so many positive opportunities to create a brighter and more sustainable future,” said Professor Stuart White, director of the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures.
From research on coral reef resilience, to mapping research against the sustainable development goals, to going plastic free on campus, there is a lot going on at UTS that can inform solutions and inspire a change in course for Australia’s future.
“It’s an issue that’s particularly pressing for younger generations,” said Seb Crawford, Sustainability Engagement Manager at UTS. “Millions of students and young people have taken part in climate strikes around the world, urging the adult leaders to recognise the severity of the crisis we all face. As someone who has worked in the sustainability sector for many years, it’s fantastic to see the response this has sparked, and to see UTS become the first university in Australia to sign the declaration.”
The next decade will be crucial to determining how much warming our planet experiences and how humanity, and the other living creatures who share our world, survive.
Our society faces an emergency and we must take action. We need equal commitment from every level of government, and business if we are going to make it to zero emissions. But we aren’t afraid to lead the charge.
More on climate action at UTS
The Vice-Chancellor’s statement on signing the climate declaration