More and more universities commit themselves to act on climate change. Cities and Universities around the world have started to declare a state of climate emergency, making Climate protection a priority in their own institutions. This workshop organized by Andreas Wanke and Katrin Schweigel (FUB) will assess the whole spectrum of university commitments to act on climate change.

Freie Universität Berlin was the first university in Germany to declare a state of climate emergency in December 2019 – pledging to become CO2 neutral by 2025. This decision highlights the universities’ commitment to systematically embedding sustainability and climate protection in their institutions and international networks.

In the workshop, universities that have declared an emergency, such as Freie Universität Berlin and the University of British Columbia, will introduce their strategic plans for the climate emergency. It will be discussed which factors led to the decision to declare climate emergency, what this commitment entails, and what areas are prioritized. Additionally, major milestones in achieving climate neutrality will be addressed.

The workshop is meant to serve as a platform for sharing experiences on the implementation of strong sustainability commitments (e.g. in the framework of a sustainability strategy or climate emergency) in the university context.