Universities and Climate Action

Universities have a pivotal role to play in addressing the climate crisis, not only educating an increasingly large proportion of the global population, but also through scientific breakthroughs, technological innovation and raising public awareness. Higher education is particularly important given the roots of ecological and social breakdown in our models of civilisation, culture and knowledge. Yet its potential has not always been realised, and universities have historically been implicated in the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment and human communities. A transformation is thus needed in higher education, with institutions reorienting their activities towards positive engagement with climate.

Universities and Climate Action presents an original framework for understanding the impact of universities on climate change. It explores the interactions of education, research, services, public debate and campus operations on society and the ecosphere, and the complex interplay of influences on local, national and global levels. It provides in-depth discussions of ways of engaging with climate in teaching and learning and the curriculum, in research agendas, in governance and management of estates, and in engaging with external communities. The theoretical models are contextualised with examples of climate action in universities around the world. This book provides vital tools for analysis and action for researchers and practitioners working with and within the higher education sector.

Praise for Universities and Climate Action

‘Universities and Climate Action is a critical, timely and well-evidenced call to transform higher education to tackle the climate crisis. McCowan persuasively argues that universities must move beyond sustainability rhetoric to spearhead systemic change through education, research, activism and decolonised knowledge. It is essential reading for educators, policymakers and researchers.’
Prof Leon Tikly, University of Bristol

‘This book unsettles the illusion that universities can simply “green” their way out of the climate crisis. McCowan calls for a radical reimagining of education – one that disrupts, transforms and realigns knowledge with planetary survival.’
Prof Iveta Silova, Arizona State University