• Climate Emergency

Climate Emergency

Policy passed at NUS Scotland conference 2022.

NUS Scotland Notes:  

1. The climate emergency remains the most significant long-term challenge facing society. 
2. The education system must play a pivotal role in helping transition society towards a net-zero, ecologically-sound and socially-just future.  
3. The work of Teach the Future Scotland and fully supports their student-led campaign to repurpose the education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. 
4. The next annual UN climate change conference Cop26 is due to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. 
5. The fight against the climate emergency needs to be inclusive of and accessible to all students

NUS Scotland Believes: 

1. That all current college and university campuses should have net zero emissions by 2030 and any new educational buildings should be net zero by 2022. Public funding should support colleges and universities to make this a reality.  
2. Colleges and universities should not invest in fossil fuel companies. Institutions should comprehensively and transparently report annually on their progress in advancing sustainability. 
3. Colleges and universities should be supported in transitioning away from providing training for careers in the fossil fuel industry; and towards training for the sustainable and green jobs of the present and the future. 
4. All students should be equipped with skills, knowledge and attributes to advance sustainability and climate justice.  
5. The Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of sustainability to be embedded into both formal and informal education, knowledge research, leadership, operations, administration, engagement, investments and knowledge exchange across all universities, colleges and sector bodies. 
6. That building stronger links between colleges, universities, and their surrounding communities can help campuses and communities become more sustainable and improve their local environment. 
7. Further and Higher Education institutions need to include the new generation in the conversation when writing a sustainability strategy. It is imperative that the new generation, who will be the most affected by climate change, be given a voice in these conversations and are actively engaged in the design of sustainability strategies in our College and University communities.