These are the universities that are failing to hit climate change targets

More than half of all UK universities are “not on track to meet emissions targets” and are failing on their climate change commitments, according to a sustainability league table published by People & Planet.

Just 46 per cent of unis are on course to meet their 2020-21 climate change targets, as set by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFC) back in 2010.

People & Planet’s league table ranks 154 higher education institutions based on several metrics including: ethical investment and banking, carbon reduction, as well as environmental policy and strategy.

Manchester Metropolitan University came out on top, followed by King’s College London and Nottingham Trent. MMU  vice-chancellor Prof Malcolm Press told The Guardian he was “absolutely delighted,” adding: ““Sustainability forms an integral part of everything that we do, from our teaching and research, to the way that we build and use our campus.”

At the bottom of the league table was the University Sunderland (154th) , while the worst performing Russell Group institution was found to be the University of of Birmingham (138th).

Manager of People and Planet’s university league Jack Ruane said although progress had been made by many universities, the findings are “still not good overall.”

“Students are wise to greenwashing,” Ruane said. “If a university says they are sustainable but invests in fossil fuels, students are not going to believe the sustainability credentials that institution claims. So it’s very much already part of the decision-making of students.”

The top 10 universities “ranked by environmental and ethical performance” are:

1. Manchester Metropolitan University

2. King’s College London

3. Nottingham Trent University

4. De Montfort University

5. Cardiff Metropolitan University

6. University of Worcester

7. University of the Arts London

8. University of Bedfordshire

9. Plymouth University

10. Swansea University

…and here are the bottom 10 universities

145. University of Bolton

146. Royal College of Art

147. Ravensbourne University London

148. University College Birmingham

149. Norwich University of the Arts

150. Stanmillis University College

151. Royal Academy of Music

152. Cortauld Institute of Art

153. University College of Osteopathy

154. University of Sunderland

For the full league tables, click here.

Featured image credit: Background: Unsplash

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