The university’s climate and environment work
By signing the SDG Accord Climate Emergency Letter, the university has committed to becoming carbon neutral no later than 2040.
The university’s roadmap to carbon neutrality 2040
Universities have a special role in addressing society's climate challenges through their core mission to generate new knowledge through research and to convey knowledge through education. In the interests of credibility, it is also important that universities reduce their own carbon dioxide emissions to the level that research shows to be necessary. It is the stated goal of Stockholm University to be carbon neutral no later than 2040. To this end, the university has prepared a climate roadmap containing proposed measures and formulating goals.
Learn more about Stockholm University Climate Roadmap for the period 2020–2040
The university’s environmental initiatives
Stockholm University works systematically with environmental issues and follows the environmental management standards of ISO 14001. Stewardship of the environment is also a part of everyday work as the University continuously endeavours to reduce negative impacts and be a force for change. We "practice what we preach" and all of our employees play a role.
The University is conscious about environmental issues and strives to be a role model within higher education. We work actively to create efficient facilities and environments that promote collaboration, interaction and sustainability.
Read more about Stockholm University’s Environmental Policy
The university's path towards carbon dioxide neutrality 2040
Stockholm University's goal is to be carbon neutral by 2040. As part of the work, the university has developed a climate roadmap that highlights proposals for measures and goal formulations.
Read more in the university's climate roadmap
Environmental council and senior advisor to the president
Stockholm University's Environmental Council is an advisory body. Its task is to support the university management and operations in climate and environmental issues. There is also a Rector's Council that works strategically with sustainable development.
Magnus Breitholtz, professor and head of the Department of Environmental Sciences, is chairman of the Environmental Council and the Vice-Chancellor's Council for Sustainability.
Four senior advisors to the president with different areas of responsibility
Environmental education and research
The university strives to be at the forefront of both education and research into the environment and sustainable development.
Human Science Academic Area
How the humanity affects the world it inhabits is strongly influenced by culture, history, politics, and organisation on the local and global level. Hence human science – social science, humanities, and law – is indispensable to the task of understanding, coping with, and minimising mankind’s negative impact on the climate and ecosystems. Stockholm University offers a variety of programmes and courses that directly address environmental and sustainability topics from the perspective of a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Science Academic Area
Imagine a world where the climate is stable and the ecosystems contain a variety of different plants and animals, where we have a lot of clean energy as well as consumer products with minimal impact on the environment. Simply a world that is more environmentally friendly, fair, sustainable and better for plants, animals, people, society and the earth. It may sound like a dream, but it is a dream about the future that you can contribute to. A basic understanding of the world around us requires a good scientific background. At Stockholm University, you can get such an education so that you can get out there and make a difference.
Below you will find a selection of such programmes and courses
- The Stockholm Resilience Centre: The Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is an international research centre specialising in resilience and sustainable development. Since its launch in 2007, SRC has developed into one of the world’s leading centres of excellence for addressing the complex challenges facing humankind.
- The Bolin Centre for Climate Research: The Bolin Centre for Climate Research is a multidisciplinary consortium of over 400 researchers in Sweden conducting research and third-cycle studies related to the Earth’s climate.
- Department of Physical Geography: The Department of Physical Geography studies the broad disciplinary research domain of physical geography, encompassing the Earth’s physical and biological phenomena, their properties, processes, patterns and interactions with humans.
- Department of Environmental Science: At the Department of Environmental Science, researchers from various scientific backgrounds study issues such as climate and air pollution and the dispersal and effects of environmental toxins.
- Stockholm Business School: The Stockholm Business School integrates the environment and sustainable development into all of its study programmes. The Bachelor’s Programme in Business, Ethics and Sustainability in particular combines business studies with the science of sustainability.
- Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre:
Focuses on the great challenges of the Baltic Sea and will, through an interdisciplinary approach, contribute knowledge to authorities and other organizations' action work. - The International Master's Programme in Environmental Social Science is an interdisciplinary second-cycle programme arranged in collaboration between the Department of Political Science, Department of Human Geography and Department of Social Anthropology.
- The Master’s Programme in Globalisation, Environment and Social Change is a collaboration between humanities and science departments.
Departments and centres at Stockholm University
Our level of ambition and investment in environmental science is reflected in the international rankings QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Learn more about which of our departments and centres of excellence conduct research and education in the field of environment and climate.
Learn more about Stockholm University’s ranking in environmental science
Environmental Council and senior advisor to the president on climate and environmental issues
The Environment Council is one of the president’s advisory bodies, tasked with supporting the University Senior Management Team and the organisation as a whole on matters related to the climate and environment.
Since February 2020, the chairperson has been professor Magnus Breitholtz, head of the Department of Environmental Science. The members of the Environmental Council include student representatives, representatives of the university’s departments and the central environmental function.
Learn more about the Environmental Council
Senior advisor to the president on climate and environmental issues
Cooperation with other European universities
Stockholm University is included together with several European universities in the university alliance Civis, which is part of the European Commission's European University Initiative. As part of this work, Stockholm University coordinates a "hub" for cooperation on climate, environment and energy.
During the summer, the university also, as the first Swedish higher education institution, signed a petition before the UN's Climate Summit. The signatories commit to mobilizing resources for climate research and skill development for change, to achieve carbon dioxide neutrality in the time span 2030–2050, and to develop environmental and sustainability education across disciplinary boundaries.
Contact
Senior advisor to the president for the environment and sustainable development
Professor Magnus Breitholtz, head of the Department of Environmental Science.
Last updated: June 2, 2023
Source: Communications Office