The University of Warwick ranked fourth most sustainable University in the UK 

The University of Warwick has been ranked as the fourth most sustainable University in the UK in the UI GreenMetric World Rankings 2020. 

The University placed 29th among the 912 participating universities from around the world, making it the third year in a row where it has placed in the top 30 globally.

The UI GreenMetric World Rankings were first launched in 2010 by Universitas Indonesia in hopes that “more attention will be given to combating global climate change, energy and water conservation, waste recycling, and green transportation”. 

UI ranks participating universities based on six indicators: setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, and education and research.

Warwick University attributed its accomplishment in part to “ensuring new buildings are 20-30% more efficient than the average in the UK”, “improving active models of travel and publicly available transport” and working towards “a Circular Economy approach across the University with regards to resources”. 

The University continually aims to work towards its Environmental Targets where it has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in addition to its other goals spanning across sectors such as waste and biodiversity. 

The number one University in the UI GreenMetric World Rankings 2020 was Wageningen University & Research from the Netherlands, followed by the top three UK universities: University of Oxford, University of Nottingham, and Nottingham Trent University.

This past year has highlighted the importance of continued collaboration as we all seek to channel our research, our teaching and our institutional operations towards a more sustainable futuret

– Chris Ennew

Despite the impact that the recent Covid-19 pandemic has had on universities around the world, Warwick University’s Provost Chris Ennew remarked that she has witnessed progress in regards to universities’ sustainability development.

“This has been a difficult year for universities worldwide, and yet despite the challenges of the current pandemic, we have seen more and more universities participating in the UI GreenMetrics process, benchmarking their work and demonstrating their growing commitment towards enhancing sustainability.

“This past year has highlighted the importance of continued collaboration as we all seek to channel our research, our teaching and our institutional operations towards a more sustainable future.”