Update for colleagues ahead of COP26
Published: 13 October 2021
News, events and operational arrangements for colleagues, ahead of COP26
In just two weeks’ time the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will begin in Glasgow. COP26 promises to be a truly momentous moment for the city and a landmark in the global climate debate as Glasgow welcomes delegates and leaders from almost every nation.
Alongside the conference itself, the city and the University will become focal points for a major programme of events, workshops, talks and exhibitions featuring experts from around the world.
Get involved
Booking is now open for over 200 events taking place in the official Green Zone, in the Glasgow Science Centre. Most events will be live streamed on the COP26 YouTube channel.
This programme features experts from our own community, with colleagues from the University running a number of exciting, interactive exhibits as part of the COP26 Universities Network Exhibition. These include a live Carbon Collector game, art-based explorations for all ages on how to help Glasgow reduce carbon, looking inside a Glasgow tenement to see how to make it “green”, using quantum image sensing app to “see” emissions, and more. You can read more about the UofG-led Green Zone events on our webpages.
During COP26, the University is also running a full programme of events for staff, students and the public.
There include:
The Centre for Sustainable Solutions is bringing together research, technologies, and interactive activities into one day-long exhibition in the University's beautiful and historic Hunter Halls. From a crowd-collaborative video game where you can use your smartphone to try managing a carbon "budget", to a range of activities for children to explore sustainability, the showcase includes a water tank and CO2 measuring chamber to demonstrate research with coastal wetlands, interactive exhibitions on sensors, 5G and quantum technologies and how they can help the fight against climate change, and a student project creating a net zero racing car, and much more!
Exhibits are listed here - with more to be added! This will be a ticketed event on 9th November, 10:00 - 16:00 GMT - sign up here. Look out for hashtags #UofGCOP26 and #SustainableSolutionsShowcase
The Centre for Sustainable Solutions is hosting this virtual event on the COP26 Presidency Programme's Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day. Patrick Harvie MSP will give the opening address, following which will be panel discussions and talks on a range of subjects, including life-enhancing product design, “Digital Twin” technology for managing campus buildings, greening office spaces and tenements, and technology to protect our cities.
You can sign up via the conference Eventbrite and follow via the hashtags #UofGCOP26 and #BuiltEnviroConf.
Undergraduate and Postgraduate students are also invited to submit a poster on their research related to any of the Conference themes to the Student Poster Competition. Prizes have been kindly donated by McLaughlin & Harvey. Deadline midnight GMT on 1 November. See the full programme for more details.
We’d encourage you to explore the full programme of UofG events is available on the University’s COP26 events pages.
Join the conversation
The University will be using the hashtag #UofGCOP26 on our social media accounts throughout COP26 – please join the conversation by using this hashtag, or using #COP26, as well as celebrating our community or impact through #TeamUofG or #WorldChangingGlasgow.
You can also brand your own communications using our own sustainability brand guidelines, including official logos, Zoom backgrounds, and Power Point templates, which support COP26, the UN Sustainability Development Goals and the wider sustainability agenda.
Travel and transport
We previously updated you about the University’s arrangements during COP26; our campuses will remain open, but we will be flexible to support anyone affected by travel disruption, particularly on 1-2 November when it is expected to be more significant.
Please be aware that some road closures will begin this weekend (Saturday 23 October) and we expect congestion throughout conference, particularly in the west and centre of the city.
On Saturday 6 November, a mass climate march will take place as part of a global day of action. This event is likely to also have significant impacts on travel along the route, which will start at Kelvingrove Park and end at Glasgow Green.
You can see the full impact of the temporary travel and transport arrangements during COP26, including arrangements for pedestrian and cycle access, on the Get Ready Glasgow webpages, including day-by-day maps.
Parking on-campus
Because of the likely transport disruption, we are asking colleagues who do not have essential activities on campus to work from home during the period 31 October-12 November (inclusive) where possible. Anyone who needs to travel to campus should be aware of the following arrangements for parking on our Gilmorehill campus:
- All car parking on the south side of University Avenue will be suspended during the period 31 October to 3 November, except for key operational personnel. Key operational personnel will be informed directly.
- Due to pressures on parking, colleagues who have essential activities on campus (other than key operational personnel) are recommended to use active or public transport where possible.
- Vehicle access to the south campus will be maintained for University service vehicles, pre-arranged essential deliveries and emergency vehicles during this period.
We’d like to thank colleagues for your understanding as we work through some of the operational impacts during this period. Over the next month, Glasgow will be the centre for discussions that will shape the future of communities and our world, and we want our community to play a key role in inspiring that.
The University will continue to keep colleagues and students informed through COP26, to share news, events and operational issues, to help ensure that we can all engage with the events in our city.
First published: 13 October 2021