Goal 13: Climate action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Our research
The University’s Cabot Institute for the Environment is at the forefront of research on understanding and addressing the climate crisis. Research published in 2022 by the Institute revealed the potential impact of climate change on super cyclones in South Asia. Using sophisticated modelling, and working with local scientists, the researchers found that if gas emissions continue at present levels, sea levels will rise, causing extreme weather events, severe flooding, and many more fatalities. Similar findings were also shared in 2023 by Cabot Institute researchers looking at flood risk in the UK, who found a greatly increasing likelihood of extreme rainfall events over the next 60 years if action is not taken on emissions.
Researchers at the Cabot Institute also found that record-breaking heatwaves are likely to cause significant harm in socio-economically vulnerable regions such as Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Beijing, Central America and Central Europe. The study in 2023 found that countries are most at risk where they have not experienced intense heatwaves yet, because adaptations are usually made after events occur. Increasing temperatures, growing populations, limited healthcare and limited energy provision add to the challenges in these areas, and the researchers recommended action plans are developed now to minimise harm.
Our students
Bristol offers several programmes and units that address the challenge of tackling the climate crisis. Our MSc Society, Politics and Climate Change is designed specifically for students who aspire to professional careers addressing climate change in the private, public or non-profit sectors. It explores the complex issues around climate change and the economy, international relations, development, resilience, social movements and the green transition, and includes the option for students to work on a real research project for a partner organisation.
Students at Bristol are also applying their learning on climate change in very practical ways. In 2023, the School of Education ran its second Climate Justice Challenge, inviting students and staff to become Ambassadors, helping to create a sense of community around efforts to address climate change, and to share stories of active steps that individuals can take to make a difference. Students from the wider University have also engaged through Climate Action Bristol (CAB), volunteering with local organisations to develop and implement Climate Action Plans.
Our communities
Our Cabot Institute for the Environment sent three leading researchers to the Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27) in Egypt in 2022. As the Institute has observer status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, our researchers had the chance to engage with policymakers and climate policy experts from around the world to help promote climate action which is informed by the best evidence and research. Their expertise ranged from developing climate science to inform and advance climate change policy, to ensuring a just transition to a net-zero economy. This was accompanied by local artists digitally showcasing an array of thought-provoking artwork capturing people’s thoughts and experiences of climate change, and their messages to leaders at the conference.
Ahead of the next event, COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, A-level students from Bristol’s state schools participated in a Mock COP event, organised by the Cabot Institute and designed to mimic the international climate negotiations held by the UN. Mock COPs are a semi-structured role-play intended to educate participants on the complexities of climate negotiations, the kind of actors involved, and the scale of the problems faced. Facilitated by postgraduate students, young people from different schools represented a nation or organisation, navigated their group’s aims and the interests of other delegations, before finally voting on key negotiation issues.
Ourselves
We are working towards decarbonising energy use and improving efficiency, with a focus on lowering scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions through our Carbon and Water Strategy. By 2022/23, we had reduced our carbon dioxide emissions from buildings by 47% on our baseline year 2005/06, and increased our solar capacity by nearly 100kW to just under 500kW across several University sites. We measure our carbon to ISO 14064, to ensure transparency and enable international comparison, and have an eight-point plan for continuing to reduce our carbon emissions in future.
The University’s efforts to address our own activity as an organisation and an employer were recognised when we rose four places to 16th in the People & Planet University League 2022/23, which ranks UK universities based on their environmental and ethical performance. Bristol received a 1st class grade, an accolade received by just 27 institutions in the ranking. The ranking result reflected efforts by the University to address challenges around staffing sustainability work, environmental management on campus, education around sustainability, ensuring workers’ rights, and sustainability in food provision.