Edinburgh University ranked 2nd in UK for sustainability

In a new ranking, Edinburgh University was ranked as the joint second in the UK for sustainability, while Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was ranked as the least.

The Universities of Glasgow (6th), Strathclyde (26th), Aberdeen (23rd) and St Andrews (24th) were ranked in the top 30 UK institutions.

UCL and Imperial College London rounded out the top two, while the University of Roehampton, London and Cardiff Metropolitan completed the bottom three.

The ranking from QS examines three categories: Environmental impact, social impact, and governance, to rank over 1,500 global higher education providers, including around 100 from the UK.

SRUC was ranked in the category of 1,501+ on the global ranking, meaning that out of 1751 ranked institutions, they were in the bottom 250 worldwide.

Most Read

Vanessa reveals heartbreaking reason she unexpectedly quit The Ultimatum with Dave

The most iconic I’m A Celeb catchphrase of 2024 has to go to this legendary campmate

The ‘horrific’ true story that inspired new spy drama Black Doves on Netflix

The University of Edinburgh ranked seventh globally, climbing from 15th last year. Dave Gorman, the director of social responsibility and sustainability at Edinburgh University said: “This year’s rankings reflect the dedication of our staff and students to creating impactful solutions for a sustainable future.

“We continue to be inspired by our communities as we address the emergencies of climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality. Going forward, we will strive to embed regenerative sustainability across all that we do.”.

According to the university, a number of initiatives have significantly boosted their sustainability rankings, including over 234,000kWh of renewable energy being produced on campus in 2022/2023, as well as specialised sustainability courses being offered at the new Futures Institute.

Speaking to QS, Matthew Lawson who works within the university’s Department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability spoke about a growing importance of supporting sustainability among students, saying:

“Students want to create a more sustainable future. They want opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and actions to address the climate crisis and the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). They want their university to be a leader on sustainability issues; they want to be actively leading sustainability projects, and develop their own knowledge, skills and leadership on climate and sustainability issues, recognising the climate and environmental emergency will impact their careers and lives.”

The University of Toronto was ranked as the top university for sustainability, with Zurich in second and the University of California, Berkeley and Lund University sharing third place.