The University of Kent celebrated Earth day last week (22 April) by joining the Race to Zero campaign along with over 70 other UK HE institutions, making public our pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Race To Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth.
Catherine Morris, Environmental Adviser said:
‘I feel proud that by joining the Race to Zero, our senior leadership has made a public commitment to the net zero agenda and our contribution towards the sector’s leadership on a global level at COP26 in November 2021. I am looking forward to seeing the results of our open consultation with staff and students on how the university can tackle the issues of the climate emergency and I am excited to be part of developing the plans for how we will achieve our net zero target’
By joining we have committed to the following:
- Pledge: having a 2050 or sooner net zero target
- Plan: explain what steps will be taken toward achieving net zero
- Proceed: taking action towards net zero
- Publish: commit to report progress annually
We are currently developing the Carbon Management Plan which will set out how we plan to achieve our net zero target.
The university is committed net zero by 2040 in terms of activities it directly controls (such as university vehicles and campus electricity) and by 2050 – or sooner – in indirect emissions (such as those associated with waste and products purchased).
Achieving this will take action across the university from cutting long-haul air travel and reducing paper and plastic use to ensuring that our curriculum and research is aligned with the climate emergency.
All staff and students are invited to complete our consultation to give us your thoughts and ideas on how we can deliver this at Kent. We want to hear from as many people as possible to ensure that our plans reflect the way we want to live, learn and work in the future.
You can also find out more about Kent’s response to the climate emergency by visiting the sustainability webpages or through their social media accounts: Instagram/Twitter