Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today. The education sector has a key role to play in addressing this challenge. Education is critical to achieving the transition to a low carbon economy and society. Teaching and learning are crucial to inspire and educate the next generation of decision makers, business leaders and citizens, and equip them with the skills and knowledge to deal with the challenges of climate change. Research and innovation helps us to understand the many facets of climate change and will be central to developing ideas and technologies to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate.

As the representatives of educational institutions and associated organisations in the UK we:

• Welcome the introduction of a Climate Change Bill and acknowledge the benefits of creating a clear legal framework to shape our collective responsibilities to the threat of climate change.

• Recognise the need to ensure that global average temperatures do not rise more than 2°C in order to avoid the most severe effects of climate change.

• Urge the Government to ensure that the Climate Change Bill is based on the most up-to-date science of climate change, which clearly indicates that the UK needs to cut carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050.

• Call for the Climate Change Bill to create a duty on both the public and private sectors, including the education sector, to introduce carbon reduction strategies that will enable a smooth and urgent transition to a low carbon economy.

As representatives of stakeholders within the education sector we commit to take decisive and strategic action to reduce year-on-year the carbon emissions of our own institutions and organisations.

Signatories:

1. Professor Janet Beer, Vice Chancellor, Oxford Brookes University

2. Professor John Craven, Vice Chancellor, University of Portsmouth

3. Professor K. D. Brown, Acting Vice Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

4. Dr Brian Lang, Principal & Vice Chancellor, University of St Andrews

5. Professor Patricia Broadfoot, Vice Chancellor, University of Gloucestershire

6. Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice Chancellor & Chief Executive, University of Plymouth

7. Dave Lewis, National Treasurer, National Union of Students

8. Dr R S Farwell, Vice Chancellor, Buckinghamshire New University

9. Linda Newman, President, University and College Union

10. Professor Simon Lee, Vice Chancellor, Leeds Metropolitan University

11. Professor Steven West, Vice Chancellor,University of the West of England

12. Professor Timothy O’Shea, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Edinburgh

13. Professor Julia King, Vice Chancellor, Aston University Birmingham

14. Professor Christopher F Higgins, Vice Chancellor, Durham University

15. Professor Michael Garrity, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University Salford

16. Professor Mark Cleary, Vice Chancellor, University of Bradford

17. Professor Pamela Gillies, Principal & Vice Chancellor, Glasgow Caledonian University

18. John Coyne, Vice Chancellor, University of Derby

19. Professor Paul Curran, Vice Chancellor, Bournemouth University

20. Professor R.G. Burgess, Vice Chancellor, University of Leicester

21. Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Vice Chancellor, University of Greenwich

22. Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges

23. University of Aberystwyth

24. Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Warden, Goldsmiths University of London

25. Professor Gerald J Pullay, Vice Chancellor, Liverpool Hope University

26. Professor Christopher J Carr, Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria

27. Howard Davies, Director, and Andrew Farrell, Director of Finance & Facilities, The London School of Economics and Political Science

28. Professor Philip Tasker, Vice Chancellor, De Montfort University

29. Professor David Halton, Vice Chancellor, University of Glamorgan

30. Professor Eric Thomas, Vice Chancellor, University of Bristol

31. Professor Maynard Case, Associate Vice-President for Compliance, Risk and Sustainability, University of Manchester

32. Professor T D Davies, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of East Anglia

33. Professor J. K. Fidler, Vice Chancellor, Northumbria University

34. Professor Keith Burnett, Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield

35. Malcolm McVicar, Vice Chancellor, University of Central Lancashire

36. Julie Kirby, Head, Cheney School, Oxford

37. Shirley Pearce, Vice Chancellor, Loughborough University

38. Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, Birkbeck, University of London

39. Ian C Wilson, Principal, Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College, Leicester

40. Dr Peter Noyes, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales, Newport

41. Professor David Latchman, Master, Birkbeck, University of London

42. Professor Shirley Pearce, Vice Chancellor, Loughborough University

43. Professor Christine Hallett, Principal & Vice Chancellor, University of Stirling

44. Rosemary Stanford, Environmental Policy Advisor, University of Lincoln

45. Professor Neil T Gorman, Vice Chancellor, Nottingham Trent University

46. Ann Tate, Vice Chancellor, University of Northampton

47. David Tidmarsh, Vice Chancellor, Birmingham City University

48. Christine Rice, Travel & Sustainability Manager on Behalf of the Sustainability Group, University of Salford

49. Professor C . Duncan Rice, Principal & Vice Chancellor, University of Aberdeen

50. Sir Muir Russel, Principal & Vice Chancellor, University of Glasgow

51. Professor John Brooks, Vice Chancellor, Manchester Metropolitan University