SDG 13: Climate Action 2025 Report
SDG 13 - Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
The University of Huddersfield actively supports climate action through education, engagement, and regional partnerships. Initiatives include sustainability-focused curricula, staff and student programmes like the Sustainability Champions Scheme, and collaborative efforts such as the Kirklees Climate Commission covering the local area. Through research, events, and international forums, the University promotes climate action and resilience across campus and the wider community.
Learning for students
Applied Biology
Applied Biology students at the University benefit from the expertise of leading academics and practitioners who bring real-world insights into climate-related fields. Through topics such as remote sensing for ecosystem monitoring, biodiversity conservation, and bioremediation of contaminated environments, students explore practical, science-based responses to the impacts of anthropogenic environmental change.
D2L Sustainability Roundtable
The university is part of the D2L Sustainability Roundtable, which is a forum for higher education institutions from across the world to share and co-create best practices for embedding climate education in higher education teaching and learning. The University also helps organise the annual Student Sustainability Research Conference in the West Yorkshire region. The conference provides a platform for students at all levels and across all disciplines to present their sustainability-themed research, innovation, activities and other outputs.
Global Professional Award
University of Huddersfield
As part of its commitment to environmental education, the University engages students through the Global Professional Award - a compulsory programme for all undergraduates. This initiative includes a dedicated focus on sustainability and climate action, and during interactive workshops, students critically examine the Sustainable Development Goals and explore their relevance to real-world challenges. Additionally, students complete a number of elective hours, with the option to choose modules centred on sustainability.
Public and business engagement
Local education programmes on climate change
The University delivers local education programmes addressing climate change risks, impacts, mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning systems. A key example is its partnership with the Kirklees Climate Commission (KCC), through which the University actively supports regional efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions and strengthen climate resilience. Based on the University of Huddersfield campus, the KCC brings together a diverse network of local business leaders, educators, councillors, creatives, and legal professionals. It provides independent advice and services to households, community groups, and businesses across Kirklees. Current initiatives include enhancing energy efficiency, such as conducting energy assessments for up to 400 homes throughout the district.
Operations
Low carbon energy tracking and climate action planning
The University has adopted a Ten-Point Climate Action Plan, focused on delivering carbon neutrality on Scope 1/2 by 2030, and Scope 3 by 2045. The Plan covers work on the University’s estate, digital infrastructure, teaching & learning, research, campus environment, travel strategy, and approaches to offsetting.
The University’s Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Plan - approved by the University’s Council in 2024 - tracks low carbon energy and outlines expenditure of £10m on specific carbon reduction schemes before 2030, which supports the delivery of the Climate Action Plan.
Sustainability Champions Scheme
The University recognises that a key enabler in meeting our carbon and environmental targets is the widespread participation of staff, students, and wider stakeholders. To this end it is undertaking a broad spectrum of student and staff engagement programmes including the development of a Sustainability Champions scheme and the trial of a Green Rewards app-based incentive scheme open to all staff and students.
Each academic year, the Sustainability and Wellbeing teams run a programme of sustainability-themed events and workshops, ranging from gardening activities to green building tours. Campus-wide campaigns have been run to address energy usage including the ‘Christmas Switch-Off’ Campaign and ‘2 Degrees Cooler’ heating reduction campaign. Staff also engage with sustainability through their specific work areas, observing the LEAF sustainable labs accreditation in the School of Applied Sciences, the PRME accreditation in the Business School and the WELL standard for those residing in WELL accredited buildings.
Our research
Researchers across the University are working with governments and NGOs to address climate change impacts.
Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project
Sri Lanka, one of the countries most affected by extreme weather linked to climate change, was ranked second globally in the 2017 Climate Risk Index. In response, a unique staff exchange programme brought together the University of Huddersfield and eight leading Sri Lankan universities through the Erasmus+ funded Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCA-DRR) project. Led by the Global Disaster Resilience Centre at the University of Huddersfield, the initiative involved 24 experts from diverse fields working collaboratively to strengthen research and tackle climate change as a key driver of disaster risk.
Energy, Emissions and Environment Research Group
The University’s Energy, Emissions and Environment Research Group (EEERG) supports governments in clean energy and energy-efficient technology policy development, at a local regional, national and international level. Their work focuses on supporting national energy needs through research supported by the government, industry and the EU.
The EEERG is also developing new networks which are generating research and development projects in the area of innovative and effective conventional and renewable energy systems.
COP28
Dr Kikelomo Kila from the University of Huddersfield Law School shared her expertise as a climate change specialist at COP28 in Dubai, presenting a paper entitled ‘Teaching Climate Law and the Clean Energy Transition: Challenges and Prospects’. Her paper focused on utilising research methodologies to effectively teach climate law, the main challenges in teaching climate law and how the interdisciplinary nature of climate change law can be incorporated into the teaching strategy. Her research has also helped African countries like Tanzania and Ghana to reform their climate change legal framework.
Find further information
Carbon, Energy and Water
We're committed to reducing the impact of our estate on climate change, reducing carbon emissions, building energy efficiency and monitoring water management.
Sustainability initiatives
As a university, we work to embed sustainability into every aspect of campus life, combining innovation with responsibility to contribute to a sustainable future.
Green Week
Discover the ways in which we get students, staff and the community engaged to support sustainability, including with our annual Green Week activities.
Sustainable Development Goals
Click to explore our other sustainable development goal pages and get to know how we're working towards these at the University of Huddersfield.