|
Photo: Mostphotos
Lund researchers demand halving of emissions at Swedish universities
Eighteen researchers at Swedish universities, four of whom work at Lund University, wrote an opinion piece in the DN Debatt section of the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 29 October calling on Swedish universities to take their own research seriously and cut their emissions of greenhouse gases by half within five years.
The article in DN Debatt begins with the statement: “We researchers and lecturers at Swedish universities and university colleges call on our higher education institutions to halve their own emissions of greenhouse gases within five years. In this way the universities can face up to the implications of the scientific knowledge that they produce and finance and take the lead in the adjustments made by society as a whole, which must begin immediately. At the same time, the universities would demonstrate in practice what it means to take scientific knowledge seriously".
The signatories of the piece proposed five areas in which the higher education institutions can work towards emission targets: travel, food, commuting by car, energy consumption and capital investments. Lund University Vice-Chancellor Torbjörn von Schantz commented on the call for action and how the University views the challenge.
Vice-chancellor to highlight the issue
“I have read the opinion piece with great interest and yes, Lund University will practise what we preach, something to which we can all contribute. At the same time, I am aware of conflicting targets and the challenges involved in reducing the climatic impact of travel while still increasing internationalisation.”
The vice-chancellor emphasises that improvement work has already started through the environmental goals the University is striving to achieve, but he also underlines that considerable challenges remain regarding travel and consumption.
"We need to make it easier for all students and staff to make sustainable decisions."
“Several initiatives have already been implemented at Lund University, such as running projects for travel-free meetings and reviewing our investments to become fossil-free. We have also drawn up an environmental action plan in which we focus on areas such as travel, procurement, chemicals and premises. We can state that the climatic impact of our air travel has been reduced somewhat over the past three-year period and that all our energy consumption for heating, electricity and remote cooling is renewable.”
“However, the University faces challenges in terms of travel and consumption. I will raise this issue in the management group to see what further means we can use in addition to the ones we have already. We need to make it easier for all students and staff to make sustainable decisions at their place of study or work.”
By Ludwig Bengtsson Sonesson - published on 30 October 2018
|
|
