Dear colleagues,
After many years of planning, one of the most significant climate summits of our time is upon us. COP26 will bring together the leaders of more than 100 countries in a bid to avert catastrophic climate change and place the world on a safer path.
In total, more than 20,000 people are expected to visit our city, with negotiations, events and meetings taking place across Glasgow for two weeks from Sunday.
At Strathclyde, our activities are well underway.
On Monday, the First Minister launched the Scottish Government’s COP26 programme, priorities and ambitions at our Technology and Innovation Centre. In her keynote speech, she underlined our long track record in innovation and our reputation for research that “will undoubtedly help lead Scotland, and the whole world, into the net zero age.”
She also heard from our academics working at the cutting-edge of energy innovation and saw for herself our smart grid research labs.
Today, I am delighted that we welcome the world’s largest annual youth gathering on climate change, the UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY16), helping future leaders and innovators make their voices heard.
And for the duration of COP, we are providing a platform for the UK higher education sector to showcase the incredible work going on in universities like Strathclyde to help us better understand climate change and inform action.
You can read more about what is happening on campus in Tuesday’s special edition of Inside Strathclyde, and stay up-to-date with the latest on our website. Our Sustainable Strathclyde team is also providing Climate Literacy training for staff – with our Leadership Group taking part in a workshop on the subject yesterday.
COP26 will be a landmark moment for Glasgow, and one that will live long in the memory. However, its sheer size and scale means there will inevitably be disruption in the city. As a reminder, you can use the Get Ready Glasgow website to help you plan if you need to travel.
Please also remember that adhering to COVID-19 guidance is particularly important in light of the much-increased number of people moving around the city.
The science around rising global temperatures is indisputable; the only questions now are what we do about it, and when.
As a University community, we have committed to ambitious targets to reach net zero, and I am extremely proud of the efforts colleagues across Strathclyde are making in sustainable research, innovation, teaching, and operations.
Together, we will play our part in achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.
I hope you remain well engaged in the dynamics, debates and – hopefully – agreements that will be shaped over the next few weeks.
Finally, please note the Strathclyde Values Survey closes on Sunday 31 October. I would encourage you to take part in the survey, which was sent to you by email by our independent survey company Medallia. Providing us with your views and comments will be enormously helpful in building on our commitments to work with our staff and respond to their views.
Best wishes,
Jim
Professor Sir Jim McDonald