Universities and the climate emergency: A study of universities’ responses and researchers’ engagement in climate action

Latter, Briony 2024. Universities and the climate emergency: A study of universities’ responses and researchers’ engagement in climate action. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF (Thesis) - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (5MB) | Preview
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Publication Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (255kB)

Abstract

Climate action is needed across society, though some sectors have greater power and obligation to act than others. It is argued that universities are one such sector. In 2019/20, a group of universities in the United Kingdom (UK) declared climate emergencies and though interest in the relationship between the activities of universities and climate change is growing, the declarations are under researched. There has been little focus on the critical role of researchers, particularly with regards to how university and research culture and practices can enable or inhibit change. This study addresses these gaps, exploring how universities in the UK are responding to the climate crisis and how researchers, as a key group within these institutions, are implicated in climate action. I focus on universities’ climate emergency declarations and the culture and practices within universities that may shape engagement with climate change, using mixed methods research. Documentary analysis of climate emergency declarations by universities (N=26) showed that they function as promotional statements, as presenting a collective voice, and showing a commitment from the universities to action. Participant observation of working group meetings at a case study university (N=11) showed how the university recognised the scale of the challenge they faced, had a clear focus on action and aimed to model their response on an existing example of best practice from another university. Interviews with university research and sustainability staff and HE sector experts (N=22) and a UK-wide survey of researchers across 127 universities (N=1,853) indicated that university and research culture shapes how researchers engage with climate change. Their engagement is shaped through issues such as workload, power, and pressure to travel. Therefore, the original contribution of this Thesis is that it found that universities are responding to the climate emergency both publicly and internally, and that researchers have a key role in climate action. I conclude with steps that universities and researchers can take to better incorporate climate action into their culture and practices.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 October 2024
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2024 10:56
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/173283

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item