A series of five roundtable discussions took place in October 2021 as part of the Climate Connection, bringing together key actors from the COP26 priority countries to explore the multiple roles the higher education sector plays in combatting the climate crisis, as well as examining some of the challenges institutions face in their own Race to Zero.
The roundtable discussions
- explore how research outputs can be used to support governments to develop evidence-based climate mitigation policies
- examine how the HE sector is preparing the next generation for the reality of climate change, and what skills they need to acquire
- investigate how universities can be more adept at knowledge production and exchange and at working across traditional academic boundaries, and what policy levers governments can put in place to make this happen
- showcase some of the latest collaborative climate research projects between the UK HE sector and counterparts around the world
- reflect on the role universities play in the public discourse around climate change to help build wider trust in and understanding of the science
- discuss how Higher Education Institutions can reduce their own carbon footprint.