SLU news

SLU comes second in ranking by Climate Students

Published: 14 October 2020

To coincide with the Global Day of Climate Action on September 25, Climate Students published their Climate Action Ranking Report on Swedish universities and higher education institutions. SLU ranked second.

The universities and higher education institutions were graded in four areas:

  • changes in emissions from work-related air travel between 2018 and 2019
  • emissions from work-related air travel during 2019
  • measuring total emissions, and
  • action plans and targets for reducing emissions.

The ranking uses figures taken from the data submitted to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency from universities and HEIs each year.

“Our university has campuses all over Sweden. Many of our operations and activities such as our agricultural work and our ships require energy use, yet we have still come out on top. We need dedicated employees who genuinely want to contribute to our climate action, and we are proud we are seeing results,” says Maria Knutson Wedel.

The 1.5°C target

In 2019, 37 Swedish higher education institutions – including SLU – joined the Climate Framework for Higher Education Institutions, thereby undertaking the pledge to contribute to meeting the 1.5°C target by 2030. Climate Students then started an initiative placing additional pressure on higher education institutions and their work with climate change.

All Swedish universities and higher education institutions were invited to participate, however only 16 responded to the survey, the results of which formed the basis for the ranking.