Reaching the Sustainability Goals
A new sustainability plan was adopted for Lund University in autumn 2020. Due to that, Klimatstudenterna and Sustainability Forum invited to an open discussion about the plan in March 2021. Key persons from the university participated in the panel and answered questions from the the audience.
Urgent goals
Environmental Manager Claes Nilén emphasized that the university has many laws and regulations to follow as a state authority, but also great opportunities for management-inspired goals and strategies, such as the sustainability plan. The university has also signed the Climate Framework, where Swedish higher education institutions undertake to reduce their climate impact in line with the Paris Agreement. The adopted sustainability plan can be divided into two parts. The first part is the core business's contribution to a sustainable transition through education, research and collaboration, the second one is the internal organisation part that deals with issues such as buildings, climate impact, waste, food issues, purchasing and divestment. Both parts have goals and specific activities to achieve the goals and will be revised as early as 2022.
Per Mickwitz has recently taken over as Vice-Chancellor and he underlined the new university management's focus on sustainability issues. Not enough has happened since the Bruntland report in 1987 and it is clear that there are existential threats to humanity. Lund University has an important role to play in the social transformation that is needed. Our positive impact - our handprint - takes place mainly through our research and education. Lund University will be a prominent voice in research and public debate to inspire others.
Anna Ekberg, coordinator at Hållbarhetsforum spoke about the strategic role that Sustainability Forum has been given by the vice-chancellor. The mission means being a support in sustainability issues, to the university management, to research, education and for students.
Representatives from three faculties also participated in the conversation and gave their views on how the work with sustainability issues goes at the faculty level.
Klimatstudenterna urged the university management to make reality of the high goals in the sustainability plan. More concrete actions are needed to, for example, be able to halve greenhouse gas emissions. Most people agree that climate change is an urgent issue, and now we need to work together to achieve the goals. Let's create a university to be proud of!
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Panelists
- Michael St John Randall, Klimatstudenterna, Moderator
- Sigurdur Andersson, Klimatstudenterna
- Ida Bronner Thelin, Klimatstudenterna
- Ella Kurki, Klimatstudenterna
- Anna Ekberg, Sustainability Forum
- Claes Nilén, Environmental Manager Lund universitet
- Per Mickwitz, Pro Vice-chancellor for Research, Sustainability and Campus development
- Christofer Edling, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences
- Heiko Herwald, Vice dean at Faculty of Medicine
- Maria Johansson, Pro Vice-chancellor LTH
