Climate Emergency Statement
Newcastle University is committed to reducing its environmental impact.
Working towards net zero
Newcastle University announced in April 2021 that the net-zero target has been brought forward by a decade following consideration by Council and Executive Board. This target change commits the University to accelerating the de-carbonisation of its activities, with the aim of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
We in the Sustainability Team, alongside colleagues throughout the University, work in a variety of areas to achieve this target and our efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of our institution are detailed in our Climate Action Plan.
Importantly, as recognised in the University's Climate Emergency Statement below, our sustainability work goes a lot further than just reducing carbon emissions and more information on what we're doing in other areas of environmental stewardship can be found on our themes pages.
For an overview of the Sustainability Team's 17 years of action so far, check out our timeline of projects, accreditations, events, and progress here.
“We recognise the urgency of international environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity loss. Preparing our students with the skills and knowledge to deal with the unprecedented crises is fundamental to our purpose as a university. Through research and education we aim to develop transformative solutions to the sustainability challenges facing the natural world and the human societies which rely on it.
We are proud of the progress we have made, over many years of work, in improving sustainability at Newcastle University. However, we know we need to go further. We therefore commit to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the central aim of the Paris Agreement; to keep a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This means further substantial progress in the de-carbonisation of our activities and we will work together with our staff and students, and with partners in the city, region and across civil society with the aim of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040.”
See our press release