Briefings
UUCN coordinate and publish briefing papers to share evidence on key climate change topics, written by more than 100 authors from across our member universities. Explore our paper series below.
All Briefings
Assessing climate risk and strengthening resilience for UK Higher Education Institutions
This working paper will support higher education institutions to develop processes to assess their risk to their current and future climate risks, put in place plans to adapt to these risks, and ... View
Case studies
Newcastle University: Addressing flood risk through city-university collaborationsUniversity of West London: Building energy resilience in a changing climateLoughborough University: Building resilience to flood riskUniversity of Strathclyde: Climate ready Clyde – why city and region collaboration for climate resilience worksOxford Brookes University: Resilient student hallsCranfield University: Developing a University climate change risk assessment and adaptation strategy
The Urgency of Climate Mitigation for COP27 and Beyond
Ahead of COP27 in Egypt in November 2022, this UUCN briefing sets out high-level messages and summaries on why climate mitigation and adaptation must go hand in hand; that urgent action climate ... View
Addressing Climate Change Impacts on Health
Climate change is a global health emergency, with impacts felt most acutely by vulnerable populations and communities. This paper explores health risks from climate change in a global context, ... View
Achieving Food Security under Climate Change
Climate change is disrupting agriculture and food production across the world, while current food production practices are also major drivers of climate change in the first place. While ... View
Aligning Climate Finance for an Equitable and Sustainable Net Zero Future
Realigning global capital through a mainstreaming of climate into all financing operations is urgently needed. This briefing note identifies challenges for climate finance in the climate ... View
Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change, People and Biodiversity
Nature-based solutions can, if well designed and robustly implemented, deliver multiple benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, enhance biodiversity, promote human wellbeing and ... View
Just Transition: Pathways to Socially Inclusive Decarbonisation
Various protests in recent decades have highlighted the importance of an integrated approach that accounts for the environmental, economic, social, cultural and psychological dimensions of the ... View
Why the Ocean Matters in Climate Negotiations
The ocean takes up heat and carbon, reducing the adverse effects of climate change. However, those benefits also have costs: the ocean is warming, the rate of sea level rise is increasing, and ... View
Triple Wins in Adaptation, Mitigation and Development
To meet the UK’s 2050 net-zero target, technological, societal, and nature-based solutions will be required to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of our economy and society. This briefing ... View
Co-Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Actions
With careful, integrated planning and policies, climate mitigation and adaptation actions can have a large number of other positive impacts, providing co-benefits to society. Maximising ... View
The UK Post-2050: Looking Beyond the Net Zero Horizon to Inform Decarbonisation
In the pursuit of a just transition, the UK’s 2050 target for reaching net zero emissions target must be balanced alongside the UK’s long-term (post-2050) social, economic and environmental ... View
Net-Zero Solutions and Research Priorities in the 2020s
To meet the UK’s 2050 net-zero target, technological, societal, and nature-based solutions will be required to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of our economy and society. This briefing ... View
Carbon Offsetting for UK Higher and Further Education
This briefing note provides guidance to support the development of further and higher education offsetting policies. It specifically discusses the use of offsetting in the context of net zero ... View
Space-Based Earth Observations for Climate Security
Given the rapidity of environmental change there is an urgent need for timely, reliable evidence to support climate action and to monitor the effectiveness of mitigation measures. This ... View
Destination Net Zero: Setting and Delivering Ambitious, Credible Targets
Net zero emissions targets have gained traction in the global effort to halt climate change. This briefing sets out the science behind net zero targets and the considerations that policymakers ... View
Mainstreaming Climate Change Education in UK Higher Education Institutions
UK HEIs have an essential role to play in fostering preparation for the net-zero emissions transition, by engaging staff and students with the climate crisis; the development of and ... View
Case studies
Brokering Applied Research Between Students and Organisations to Affect Change for Sustainable DevelopmentCarbon Literacy: Peer-to-Peer Training Facilitates Access for All Staff and StudentsClimate Intervention: Developing a Youth Guide With and For Young PeopleCollaborating Across Disciplines for Climate Change EducationDeveloping a Pedagogical Approach to put Interdisciplinarity into Practice for the Low Carbon TransitionEmbedding Research-Based Education for Sustainable Development & Climate Education in HE CurriculaEnabling Change Agents via UpskillingIntegrating Climate Change Through Service Learning in Dental Education ProgrammesPlanning and Approving a New Climate Change DegreeStudent-Led Climate EducationThe Falmouth Curriculum Ladder: A Curriculum-Led Embedding Strategy for Climate Education & Sustainability
Case studies
Read our case studies highlighting best practices and climate action from our member universities.