Commitment to environment and sustainability
The University of Exeter has committed to leading meaningful action against the climate emergency and ecological crisis. This includes achieving carbon net zero across all scopes by 2030 and pursuing a policy of environmental net gain.
For more than twenty years, our academics have been conducting world-leading interdisciplinary research and translating it into real-world impact that is making a difference. We do this by collaborating with business, influencing national and international policy, and by engaging directly with people and communities who are being affected by environment and climate change to co-create solutions.
The University’s investments in our Sustainability team allow us to facilitate projects, initiatives and activities to embed sustainability into University culture and achieve our sustainability commitments.
Our objectives
- Achieve Net Zero - Reducing our own impact is a large part of how we take meaningful action, and we have a target to achieve carbon net zero across all scopes by 2030.
- Achieve Nature Positivity - To enhance biodiversity through protection, restoration and expansion where possible, and to increase the benefits accrued from biodiversity by people (via estates management, teaching, research, operations and supply chain).
- Embed Sustainability Across the Institution - embedding the SDGs across all courses and the experience of our staff and students
- Make use of Environmental Management System - enables organisations to control and improve their environmental performance and ensure we comply with environmental legislation.
Sustainability in our research
The University of Exeter has the UK’s top five most influential climate scientists – all in the top 21 in the world (Reuters Hot List). We have a team of over 1,000 researchers and professionals working across climate change and the environment and they include some of the world’s leading academics. This expertise underpins our research across a range of areas and collaboration through a range of institutes and centres including:
- Global Systems Institute is a ‘go to’ place for global change researchers from around the world, bringing them together with industry, policymakers, students and other stakeholders to tackle shared problems, and acting as a catalyst that enables translation of this research into applications that deliver sustainable social and ecological benefit.
- Exeter Energy brings together over 140 individuals from across all disciplines to collectively make sense of and facilitate transformation to sustainable energy systems.
- Environment and Sustainability Institute is a dynamic incubator dedicated to restoring the environment and placing people at the heart of nature.
- Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute helps leaders, businesses and communities anticipate and address issues around land use, food security, poverty, and clean water by putting the natural environment at the heart of their decision-making.
There are four times as many environmental scientists in Devon than the rest of the UK and, of the 16 most cited climate scientists in the world, 8 are in the UK and 4 of these are at Exeter.
Our world-leading research is creating solutions for a Green Future