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Self-discipline: Can universities lead the change?. Nicholas Thurston Project Executive Academic Division University of Kent. 10 – minute talk at Teaching Sustainability: Sustainable Teaching conference Friday 1 st March 2019, Keynes College, University of Kent.
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Self-discipline: Can universities lead the change? Nicholas Thurston Project Executive Academic Division University of Kent 10 – minute talk at Teaching Sustainability: Sustainable Teaching conference Friday 1st March 2019, Keynes College, University of Kent
Without societal transformation and rapid implementation of ambitious greenhouse gas reduction measures, pathways to limiting warming to 1.5°C and achieving sustainable development will be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve (high confidence) Source: IPCC SR16 page 448
PLURALIST ECONOMICS PROGRESSIVE HIGHER EDUCATION EXISTENCE FOR ALL ZERO CARBON ARCHITECTURE EQUITABLE BUSINESS STUDIES
Democratically decide how to change university to do what is necessary
Corinne Le Quéré University of East Anglia Emissions in the UK are decreasing, which is good…The problem in the UK is that the only gains that have been made are through retiring coal-fired power stations. All the rest...[still needs action]…transportation is the biggest source of emissions at the moment – still rising – going against efforts elsewhere.
John Gummer Chair of the Committee on Climate Change We’ve done well on [coal to gas]…but that has rather hidden the fact that we haven’t done a lot of other things. We’ve got to do a lot more. We’ve got to do something about transport…bring significantly forward the removal of combustion engines – much closer to 2030. By 2025, new homes should not be connected to the gas mains…The only way we are going to meet targets. I would even go as far as saying that every new home built from today should be much, much higher level of insulation and will have to deal with much warmer summers. The quicker we do it the quicker we stop the increase in climate change. Government is going to have to move faster. Aviation is one of the very difficult areas...they too have got to play their part in reducing emissions.
Declare the climate emergency Re-purpose university teaching Democratically decide how to change university to do what is necessary