The University of Sheffield has ranked 24th in the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability, soaring 92 places since its previous score last year. It also ranked 12th in Europe and 7th in the UK.
The QS World University Rankings is an independent evaluation of the world’s 1500 top institutions. They recognise that “sustainability has become a touchpoint for global institutions as they come to realise their impact on the world” and are the first of the leading rankings to put weight on Sustainability in their overall evaluation to “reflect the crucial role universities play in charting the course and driving change towards a more sustainable future”.
For sustainability, the University of Sheffield’s highest score was for Health & Wellbeing, receiving 99.6 points out of a total of 100. The university also received 98.5 points for Governance, 98.2 for Knowledge Exchange and 97.8 for Environmental Research.
Jo Campling, the SU’s Welfare and Sustainability Officer, gave a statement regarding this achievement:
“It’s encouraging to see our University recognised for the steps it’s taken so far towards becoming more socially and environmentally sustainable.
The University of Sheffield needs to properly commit to being net-zero, to stop pushing careers in Fossil Fuels and to cut its ties to the arms trade.
There is still a long way to go but together we can encourage even more progress to be made by universities across the country which will help to minimise the damaging impacts of the climate and ecological crises that we’re currently in.
The QS rankings, being research-focused, place our university at an immediate advantage due to its research-intensive nature. I would, therefore, encourage students to critically assess our university and use your voices to raise sustainability issues.
The University of Sheffield needs to make a genuine commitment to being net-zero, cease promoting careers in fossil fuels, and sever its ties to the arms trade. Although there is still a long way to go, together we can encourage even more progress by universities across the country, helping to minimise the damaging impacts of the climate and ecological crises we are currently facing.”
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Image Credit: University of Sheffield website