Sustainability in Arts & Humanities
at a world top 20 University for sustainability*
QS Sustainability Rankings
We are ranked 19th in the world out of 1,400 universities in the QS World Sustainability Rankings.
THE Impact Rankings
We are ranked 12th in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals
We are committed to contributing towards the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help tackle the most pressing global challenges facing humanity and the natural world.
Sustainability in the College & the University
Discover some of the ways Arts & Humanities contributes to sustainability issues on these pages and find out more about sustainability across the University from the link below.
UNESCO City of Music
Glasgow earned its UNESCO City of Music status for a vibrant and varied music scene that plays an important role in the city’s cultural identity and economy; it also hosted COP26 and consequently set an ambitious net zero by 2030 target that requires transformational changes for the city.
COP26
Towards a Just & Green Music City puts Glasgow’s UNESCO and COP26 identities into dialogue. Although the music sector contributes a relatively small portion of Glasgow’s greenhouse gas emissions it has a disproportionately large influencing role, making it ideally placed to communicate and drive these transformational changes.
The Future
The aim is to identify what the city’s music sector needs to thrive in the future, and design projects to help, while also investigating what role music and culture can play in a broader just and green transition.
The Screen Carbon Test measures how well a film or TV show acknowledges and addresses the issue of climate change.
It allows you to rate the on-screen depiction of the environment and climate change using a questionnaire, and then adds your score to an aggregated, user-generated Screen Carbon Rating.
The test is mainly aimed at evaluating films and TV shows produced since the United Nations' declaration of a Global Climate Emergency in December 2020, but you can use it to rate any production.
The Sustainable Screens Scotland database connects academics, experts, journalists, press officers, and media professionals, offering access to academic expertise on environmental sustainability in the screen industries. It serves as a resource for researchers, arts, culture and media professionals, charities, and industry stakeholders across Scotland.
Led by Dr Inge Sørensen and Dr Mark Wong, the project seeks to accelerate the Scottish screen industry’s transition to decarbonisation, positioning Scotland as a global leader in sustainable production practices, screen-industry infrastructure, and production funding. By helping to establish Scotland as a premier destination for international productions, it also aims to inspire and influence sustainable practices in screen economies worldwide.
Three Words for Forest
Three Words for Forest: Exploring Uncertainty in a Time of Climate Crisis is a filmed theatre production, developed by Professor Deirdre Heddon (Theatre, Film & Television Studies James Arnott Chair in Drama) and Dr Rachel Clive (Theatre, Film & Television Studies Research Associate), in collaboration with an interdisciplinary research team, UK and European forestry specialists and a professional creative team.
Based on 30 interviews with forestry practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, it explores the complexities and uncertainties of working with forests during the climate crisis. It highlights both the challenges and the deep care people have for trees - even when they disagree on how best to respond to climate change.
Communicating Sustainabilities
Communicating Sustainabilities is an intersectoral and international network, led by Professor Tom Bartlett, Professor of Functional and Applied Linguistics, bringing together academics, practitioners, activists, and professionals to explore what 'sustainability' means to different groups and to foster dialogue across differences.
Recognising that the concept of 'sustainability' can be interpreted in many ways, the network emphasises that environmental, social, cultural, and financial sustainability cannot be addressed in isolation, but must be considered in relation to one another.
The project website provides a space to share resources and personal profiles, supporting knowledge exchange among those interested in collaborating in this area.
Discourses of Sustainability explores the connections between nature, environmental sustainability, and linguistic and cultural diversity.
The aim is to facilitate dialogue on the impacts of environmental changes in Scotland and beyond during a time of global climate change, examining how these shifts may affect contemporary societies.
It brings together academics from a wide range of disciplines, alongside policymakers, practitioners, and community members, fostering a collaborative approach to understanding and responding to our changing world.
The Sustainable Futures Global Network brings together researchers, practitioners, and communities to address the common goal of a sustainable and equitable world.
The Scotland hub was formally established in 2019. Its activities are centred on the idea that stories are the most powerful and accessible way of communicating ideas, values, research and learning.
It facilitates the development of skills and methodologies and supports active practices in storytelling that tackle sustainability issues.
Sustainable Futures Scotland Hub
Phonoautobothy
The Phonoautobothy is a solar-powered, mobile music recording and live production studio.
The project led by Professor Matt Brennan and Dr Graeme Hunt in collaboration with Idlefield Art Lab, and co-funded by Canada Council for the Arts and the GALLANT Innovation Fund, is spearheading the adoption of low carbon behaviours within Glasgow’s thriving music scene.
Practical Solution & Research Project
It not only provides a practical solution for mobile sustainable music production but also serves as a research platform – testing the viability of solar power as an alternative energy source at events.
The Dear Green Bothy
Emerging from COP26 the Dear Green Bothy was a programme of public events and activities demonstrating the vital role played by the arts and humanities in understanding and addressing the climate emergency.
Overview & Analysis
The Dear Green Bothy video provides an overview of the project and reflects on its ambitions and achievements
Individual Projects
Videos of some of the projects and events are available to view on YouTube.
Uniting for a Sustainable Future: An Introduction to Global Sustainability
A short online course created by academics from across the University and Gordon Mcleod, Learning Technologist in the College of Arts & Humanities.
Over three weeks you’ll uncover a cross-disciplinary perspective on sustainability. You’ll explore human impacts on the environment as well as examining the global challenges we face.
You’ll delve into concepts of sustainability and sustainable development, including the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) as defined by the UN, to understand the importance of working towards a sustainable future.
Our College Sustainability Forum champions the importance of the arts and humanities in addressing climate change and sustainability.
It organises and supports events, activities, and research-driven initiatives that address the climate crisis, and encourages sustainable teaching, administration and research practices within the College.
The Forum welcomes participation from all research, teaching, and administrative staff across the College.
Anyone can contact the Forum by email: coah-sustainabilty@glasgow.ac.uk and university staff can also visit the forum's SharePoint Page: