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9 December 2022
For the University to safeguard the future of our students, staff and campus, we need to adapt to the changing climate. In this blog, David Charles, Head of Climate Action, tells us about the climate risks the University is facing, and how we can all facilitate change.
The climate risks we’re facing
In July 2021, the University awarded a contract to ECD Architects to develop a net zero, climate resilient pathway for our existing estate. They carried out a climate change risk assessment, vulnerability assessment, and adaptation plan. This builds on the existing work by Local Authorities in the Clyde area, and Climate Ready Clyde’s Climate Risk and Opportunity Assessment.
This work is hugely important. Nations, governments and organisations are all trying to work out how to achieve net zero. However, climate change is already happening all around us. Average global temperatures have risen by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times. If and when we achieve net zero emissions worldwide there will still be decades, if not centuries, of climate change. This is due to the lifecycle of greenhouse gases that already exist in the atmosphere. All organisations must think about how we assess the associated risks and adapt to the inevitable changing climate.
A year later, in July 2022, the University’s inaugural Climate Resilience and Vulnerability Assessment was published. This work was undertaken by WSP consultants. It included interviews with both internal and external stakeholders. The output of this work was a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of University assets to climate change. This included a list of short, medium, and long-term recommendations for the University to implement. These recommendations are split across three themes. These are governance and university community, built environment, and natural environment.
Precipitation and temperature are the two climate variables that our campus is most vulnerable to in a changing climate. Humidity and wind generally scored low in terms of vulnerability. However, some of our older buildings are somewhat at risk of outdoor changes in humidity.
WSP recommended that future changes to University governance should include a review of business continuity planning to include climate adaptation measures. This should also be complemented by climate change adaptation risks. Risks such as increased precipitation and temperature should be added to the corporate risk register.
WSP also recommended further development of assessments and plans for flood risk, integrated rainwater management, drainage management and green spaces.
Changing hearts, changing minds
You might be asking how any of these recommendations affect or involve you. The reality is that climate change is here to stay for the foreseeable future. For the University to safeguard the future of our students, staff and infrastructure, we need to adapt to the future climate. This not only involves changes to governance, buildings, and our dear green spaces but also to the hearts and minds of our staff and students. The University already offers accredited training in the form of Carbon Literacy and Climate Fresk. In order for this training to be truly beneficial, the learnings need to be put into practice as soon as possible after attending the course.
These courses encourage Strathclyders to create change in their departments and personal lives. The University too benefits from these incremental changes. But, if the University wants to achieve its ambitious net zero targets by 2040 at the latest, then system-wide change is required. For that to happen, a cultural and societal transformation in attitudes and behaviours is needed. This is no easy task – arguably one of the biggest societal and cultural transformations in world history. Yet, a university is the perfect place for these changes to happen at a micro-level. These changes will filter into society through research, teaching, and graduates. Strathclyde is well-placed to respond to the net zero challenge. We have a wide network of stakeholders, innovative research and built assets spanning four local authority areas.
Sustainability champions already exist in several University departments. But what if all departments had a “go-to” person for sustainability queries? And what if every member of staff were encouraged to use at least one of their volunteering days with a sustainability charity or cause? What if the University had a formalised process for logging sustainable ideas from our staff and students? What if we could prioritise and implement these ideas in an impactful way?
Could our places of learning be the perfect landscape for the societal and cultural transformation needed to achieve a truly sustainable global society?
Learn more and get involved
- Find out more about Climate Training and Engagement at Strathclyde
- Read the University’s Climate Change and Social Responsibility Plan. It tells more about our commitment to commissioning and implementing technical feasibility studies, such as the ones mentioned above.
