Consultation results

This page is a summary. The full report on the consultation is available as a PDF: Climate Change Strategy Consultation (PDF)

During January to March 2020, the Sustainability Working Group consulted with the university community about our Draft Climate Change Strategy.

We received over 1300 individual responses to the consultation, with lots of useful ideas and suggestions. Over the next few weeks, we will carry out a detailed analysis of all the feedback, which we hope to be able to share with you at the end of May. In the meantime, we wanted to share a summary of the headline responses to the consultation with you.

The data below demonstrate that a large majority of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the statements that were made in the survey and with the actions that were proposed, in order to address the climate crisis.

Summary of findings

Staff and students clearly expect UofG to play a leading role in tackling climate change, and supported action on a range of measures, including:

  • broadening the scope of our carbon footprint to account for air travel by international students,
  • reducing emissions associated with both business travel and everyday commuting,
  • improving space utilisation
  • the promotion of education for sustainability.

There was also support for the University’s proposal to ‘offset’ a proportion of its carbon footprint, however legitimate concerns were raised around the need to prioritise making changes to the way that we operate, and with regard to how offsetting might be carried out.

Thank you for taking the time to engage with this process; your views will help us to shape a final version of our climate change strategy and action plan, which we aim to publish during the summer of 2020.

Professor Dan Haydon and Dr David Duncan, Co-Chairs, Sustainability Working Group

Results of consultation

1. Role at UofG

We asked about your role at UofG, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
UofG Academic Staff 422
UofG Professional Services Staff 424
Student (all levels of study) 459

2. College or University Services

We asked about which area of UofG you were associated with, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
University Services 211
College of Social Sciences 246
College of Science & Engineering 268
College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Science 393
College of Arts 187

3. Campus Location

We asked about your campus location, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Other 136
Tay House 28
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital 12
Glasgow Dental Hospital and School 8
Gilmorehill 985
Garscube 94
Dumfries 42

4. Our carbon footprint

We asked you whether UofG should play a leading role in tackling climate change by eliminating its own carbon footprint, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 5
Strongly Disagree 14
Disagree 13
Neutral 28
Agree 223
Strongly Agree 1022

5. Net-zero carbon date

We asked you whether UofG should set itself an even more ambitious net-zero carbon date than 2045 (currently the legally binding net-zero carbon target date for Scotland), and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 15
Strongly Disagree 36
Disagree 63
Neutral 92
Agree 291
Strongly Agree 786

6. Carbon footprint to include travel of international students 

We asked you whether the scope of UofG’s carbon footprint should be expanded to include the impact of international students travelling between Glasgow and their countries of domicile, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 87
Strongly Disagree 79
Disagree 140
Neutral 151
Agree 383
Strongly Agree 459

7. Carbon offsetting

We asked you whether UofG should employ carbon offsetting in order to achieve a net-zero carbon position, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 71
Strongly Disagree 53
Disagree 89
Neutral 126
Agree 480
Strongly Agree 479

8. Space utilisation rates

We asked you whether UofG should improve space utilisation rates as part of the sustainability agenda, and numbers responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 44
Strongly Disagree 55
Disagree 62
Neutral 131
Agree 414
Strongly Agree 592

9. Reducing business travel

We asked you whether UofG should introduce measures aimed at reducing business travel, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 31
Strongly Disagree 54
Disagree 38
Neutral 81
Agree 332
Strongly Agree 757

10. Daily commuting

We asked you whether UofG should introduce further measures to reduce emissions from daily commuting, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 15
Strongly Disagree 50
Disagree 39
Neutral 94
Agree 351
Strongly Agree 736

11. Engaging and Empowering our Community

We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Engaging and Empowering our Community', and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 24
Strongly Disagree 21
Disagree 24
Neutral 90
Agree 396
Strongly Agree 762

12. Promoting Efficiency

We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Promoting Efficiency', and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 23
Strongly Disagree 14
Disagree 14
Neutral 80
Agree 403
Strongly Agree 755

13. Governance and Policy

We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Governance and Policy', and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 44
Strongly Disagree 19
Disagree 25
Neutral 118
Agree 416
Strongly Agree 663

14. Continuous Improvement

We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Continuous Improvement', and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 27
Strongly Disagree 15
Disagree 11
Neutral 76
Agree 359
Strongly Agree 783

15. Building Resilience

We asked you whether you we should implement the proposed actions relating to 'Building Resilience', and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 55
Strongly Disagree 16
Disagree 21
Neutral 111
Agree 452
Strongly Agree 632

16. Divestment

We asked you about divestment, and whether there were other steps the University should take in addition to our current action to divest from fossil fuels.

Responses to this question were all qualitative and we will carry out an analysis of your feedback in the coming weeks.

17. Embedding education on sustainability and the climate crisis across subjects and programmes of study

We asked you whether UofG should make it a priority to include education on sustainability and the climate crisis across subjects and programmes of study, and numbers of responses were as follows:

Column 1Responses
Don't Know 13
Strongly Disagree 34
Disagree 27
Neutral 110
Agree 352
Strongly Agree 762

18. Additional comments

We asked you whether there was anything further you would like to say in connection with the University’s approach to climate change. 

Responses to this question were all qualitative and we will carry out an analysis of your feedback in the coming weeks.