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Dear Prof. Bradley,

We are writing as concerned students, staff, business partners and alumni of Lancaster University, to call upon the University to declare a ‘climate and ecological emergency’ and commit to a rapid decarbonisation action plan, with the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Why is this necessary?

In 2018 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a special report urging immediate action to limit the global mean temperature rise from pre-industrial levels to 1.5°C. The IPCC confirmed that:

• Global mean temperature has already increased by 1°C from pre-industrial levels, and this is caused by humans.
• The world is currently on track to cause a disastrous 3-4°C global mean temperature rise.
• Limiting the global mean temperature rise to 1.5°C is still possible, but will require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes across all aspects of society.
• Every fraction of increased temperature will worsen the impacts and increase the risk of climate and ecological breakdown.

The impacts of climate change include extreme weather events (droughts, heatwaves, floods, hurricanes, wildfires) that are both more frequent and more severe, food and water shortages, rising sea levels, increased numbers of deaths and displaced people  - especially among the world’s poor - and loss of biodiversity and vital ecosystems including coral reefs, forests and glaciated regions.

Declaring a climate and ecological emergency represents an honest acknowledgement of the urgency of climate change and species loss, and a commitment to demonstrate leadership, engagement and creativity to address these overriding challenges before it is too late.

It also acknowledges the deep concerns of our current and future students who have been supporting the global ‘Youth Strike for Climate’ and ‘Extinction Rebellion’ movements. Many young people are anxious and angry about what the future holds in store for them, and argue that the current education system is not fit-for-purpose to equip them for living sustainably in a rapidly changing world.

Across the UK and globally, many local and national governments, universities and other institutions have already declared a climate emergency and set target dates for achieving net-zero emissions. For example, Lancaster City Council and the University of Bristol have both pledged to work towards a target of carbon neutrality by 2030.

An opportunity for global leadership

We call on Lancaster University to seize the opportunity to be a global leader in sustainable education and practice, building on its wealth of relevant academic expertise and degree programmes, successful Green Lancaster initiatives and Carbon Management Plan projects, and eco-innovation business partnerships.

Lancaster University has made significant progress in reducing emissions from some sources since 2010. However, other sources have been increasing rapidly; e.g. emissions from business air travel increased by 67% between 2013/14 and 2017/18.  The University has not yet embedded environmental sustainability in its overall strategic priorities (e.g. its ‘Strategy For 2020’ fails to set any priorities or targets related to environmental sustainability).

The University will soon recruit a new Vice-Chancellor and develop a new strategy. This is a perfect opportunity to put environmental sustainability at the heart of everything we do, demonstrating Lancaster’s credibility in this area and wielding our influence as a top academic institution to lead the transition to a low-carbon economy.

We ask you to commit to the following key actions:

1. Formally and publicly declare a ‘climate and ecological emergency’, recognising that this emergency transcends other concerns and ‘business as usual’. 
2. Commit to a target of carbon neutrality by 2030.
3. Create mechanisms (e.g. public assemblies, action-focused working groups, curriculum changes, transparency of data) to engage staff, students and the wider community in shaping and implementing the necessary emergency response, and holding the University to account.
4. Appoint a senior member of University Management with the responsibility for achieving this target (e.g. a Pro Vice-Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability)
5. Allocate sufficient resources (including staff and project funding) to develop and implement a rapid decarbonisation action plan which covers ‘Scope 3’ emissions (including those from waste, business travel, commuting, procurement and investments) as well as ‘Scope 1 & 2’ emissions associated with heating, electricity and vehicle fleets.
6. Grasp the opportunity presented by the University’s rural setting and extensive land holdings at Bailrigg/Hazelrigg/Forrest Hills to enhance native species biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

We hope you will take up this challenge, and we are keen to discuss next steps with you. We look forward to working together towards a sustainable Lancaster University and a better world.

Yours sincerely,

Lancaster University Staff, Students, Alumni, Business Partners and Prospective Students