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Climate Change

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Taking and inspiring action

At UCL we believe in walking the talk, developing and testing new sustainability ideas in our lecture theatres, cafeterias, offices and laboratories, and sharing the knowledge and tools that will inspire others to act for a better future.

Change starts with every one of us. At UCL, new thinking on climate action comes from across our community.  

From enabling our staff and students to use the UCL campus as a testbed for zero carbon solutions to educating future climate leaders, we want to equip people with the tools and skills they need to make change possible at UCL and beyond.  

Explore below:

Our future climate change leaders｜Inspiring action on campus｜Zero carbon buildings by 2024｜Zero carbon UCL by 2030

 

Our future climate change leaders

Change starts with every one of us, and our students are at the forefront, bringing new thinking on climate action to their studies and their everyday lives. The UCL student experience provides a wealth of opportunity to take climate action while at UCL; and to upskill as climate leaders for when they leave us for the wider world. 

Video: When I was born

Discover how much the world has changed in the last century and the impact of climate change, through this video created by Anpu, YouTuber and filmmaker from London. Anpu has a BA in Geography from UCL.

Student Sustainability Council

The UCL Student Sustainability Council aims to provide students with a voice to make change possible at UCL. Students on the Council provide feedback and guidance on the Sustainability agenda across UCL as well as guiding the Students' Union’s Sustainability Strategy.

Sustainability Ambassadors Programme

We recruit passionate students who want to develop their skills in project management, sustainability, team work, communications and leadership. Roles range from supporting the greening of our campus spaces to creating inspiring social media content about sustainability. 

UCL student designs new renewable energy costing tool

BASC student Imran Mannan’s summer research project is now being used by farms and crop-processing plants in Ethiopia, Uganda and Malawi as part of the Agro-industries and Clean Energy in Africa initiative.

How do you turn animal waste into energy?

Students from the Department of Civil, Environmental Geomatic Engineering worked with Surrey Docks Farm to design a new biodigester to create energy from the farm’s animal waste.

Sustainable Laboratories: Little LEAF

Whilst competing in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition, UCL students fashioned their own campaign to embed laboratory sustainability into the fabric of the competition. 

Climate Action Society

The UCL Climate Action Society (CAS) is UCL's fastest growing student society that organises forums, panels, internships, research opportunities and social events for UCL students that want to engage with the climate emergency.

Inspiring action on campus

New thinking on climate action and sustainability at UCL comes from across our community: from leading climate experts, from professional services colleagues, and from grassroots initiatives developed by students and our partner communities. Action on campus ranges from students cutting down on food and plastic waste on campus, to colleagues at the Bartlett, joining leading architects in declaring action on the climate emergency through the Architecture Declares manifesto.  

Reducing Food Waste

Launched in 2018, Zero Food Waste UCL (ZFW) is a student-run volunteering initiative with the primary aim of reducing food waste on campus.

The Bartlett School of Architecture Declares

The Bartlett School of Architecture (BSA) have declared a climate and ecological emergency - initiating a Citizen's Assembly to explore how architectural education and research can avert catastrophic climate change.

LEAF - creating sustainable laboratories

Developed by UCL, the LEAF programme is helping laboratories at UCL and globally reduce their carbon impact. 35 institutions took part last year saving 620 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Solar power with Clean Energy Society

A collaboration between the UCL Clean Energy Student Society and Sustainable UCL enabled the installation of a 30kW solar array on the roof of the Langton Close hall of residence. 

Ditch the Disposable

As part of a collective commitment to addressing this problem and reducing our associated environmental impacts, all UCL’s main catering providers started pricing single-use cups separately from September 2018 with a 15p charge.  To date, we have saved 250,000 single-use cups. 

UCL's first net zero carbon festival

The 'It's All Academic Festival' was UCL's first net Zero Carbon event. Taking a holistic approach, the team set to make the festival sustainable by mapping out all of its impacts and opportunities from travel, to waste, energy and engagement.

Powered by Plants Campaign

The UCL community has launched the campaign ‘UCL Powered by Plants’ to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits provided by plant-based diets. As part of the campaign, departments committ to provide 100% vegetarian catering during meetings and events.

 

Zero carbon buildings by 2024

One big milestone on our path to being a zero carbon university, will be to achieve zero carbon buildings by 2024. This means saving energy, generating our own renewable power and creating a low carbon smart grid on campus. 

Net zero carbon buildings

We have committed to net zero carbon buildings by 2024. UCL is spending £1.25 billion to transform our estate, with sustainability at the heart of the programme. From integrating ground source cooling to using recycled concrete we are reducing the carbon emissions both from creating the buildings but also from the energy they use during their life.

40% Energy reduction goal for UCL by 2024

UCL is accredited to the international ISO 50001 energy management standard in recognition of our work to reduce energy use on campus.  Through installing insulation to integrating smart controls to our heating and cooling systems we have reduced our energy use by 30% per student over 5 years.

Renewable energy for UCL

UCL’s electricity supply is from renewable electricity generated by solar, wind or hydro in the UK.  As a city centre campus, we are limited by the amount of renewable energy we can generate. However, we have been squeezing solar panels in wherever we can and in 2019, we generated 69,750kWh from our onsite solar panels! That's 1,860,000 cups of tea!

UCL's zero carbon energy network

UCL currently has one of the largest district energy networks in London which provides heating and electricity to over 40 campus buildings.  We're working to upgrade a 1960's system to a european exemplar of a smart energy network - delivering zero carbon heating, cooling and electricity to our campus.

Climate change adaptation

We are working to ensure that our estate can cope with a changing climate. From designing new buildings that are adaptable to more extreme weather events to retrofitting existing buildings to ensure they can withstand future hot summers and wet winters.

Zero carbon UCL by 2030

Alongside UCL’s bold research objectives to build planetary resilience, we have set ourselves an equally bold institutional challenge to be a net zero carbon university by 2030.  To meet this commitment we are radically rethinking how we operate; from how we travel to what products we buy and the food we serve on campus. 

Climate friendly commuting

Cycling and walking are two of the best ways of getting to campus. Sustainable UCL has put together resources to support students and staff in cycling and walking to campus. From scenic walking routes to tips on maintaining and fixing your bike, we try to cover everything that a cyclist's or walker's heart could desire.

Climate positive investments

In December 2019, UCL divested from fossil fuels and committed not to invest in companies involved in fossil fuel extraction or production in the future. We have made our portfolio of investments public to increase transparency about our investment decisions.

A global university without the global footprint?

Organisational travel is the 3rd largest source of carbon emissions for UCL. As a global university, engaging with colleagues in other countries is essential. From hosting virtual conferences to supporting our staff to take the train rather than the plane, we are working to keep this connectivity with a lower travel footprint.

Carbon Accountability Scheme

A cross-institutional group of UCL researchers have developed a Carbon Accountability Scheme for UCL departments - bringing together elements of carbon pricing and behavioural support to reduce carbon emissions. Fifteen departments took part in the pilot in the academic year 2019/20 saving 161 tonnes CO2, equivalent to planting 2,600 trees.

The hidden carbon emissions from products

2/3rds of UCL's carbon emissions come from the goods and services that we buy.  We are taking a targeted approach with our most carbon intensive areas (IT, construction & lab equipment) to increase reuse, sharing and repairing; as well as choosing products with the lowest embodied carbon emissions.

Lower carbon deliveries for UCL

Since the creation of the UCL logistics hub which consolidates deliveries arriving at UCL, 500 fewer vehicles are entering campus per month; reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and creating a more pleasant environment.