Every student will have to attend compulsory lectures on climate change at University of Sheffield under radical new plans

  • Classes on sustainable development placed in the curriculum of every degree 
  • Vice chancellor Koen Lamberts said plans aim to address 'climate emergency'  
  • 'Action plan for becoming carbon neutral' is underway, to be unveiled in Autumn

By Jemma Carr For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Vice chancellor Koen Lamberts announced the plan to have classes on sustainable development placed in the curriculum of every degree

Vice chancellor Koen Lamberts announced the plan to have classes on sustainable development placed in the curriculum of every degree

Every student will be forced to attend compulsory lectures on climate change at the University of Sheffield under radical new plans.

The initiative will see classes on sustainable development placed in the curriculum of every degree.

Vice chancellor Koen Lamberts announced the plans on Friday as hundreds of students gathered to take part in a global youth climate strike.

He said the lectures have been launched in an bid to address the 'climate emergency', according to a report on student news site The Tab.

Management at the university have also pledged to go fully carbon neutral, meaning the institution will remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it puts into it.

Many universities have taken steps to combat the climate crisis, with some selling off their investments in fossil fuels and even banning beef burgers, but few have gone as far as Sheffield.

Mr Lamberts said: 'We are embedding education for sustainable development into the curriculum of every single course.

'There is a reason for doing this: whether our students go on to become engineers, doctors, linguists or historians, it doesn't matter.

'We want every single one of them to be equipped with the education, the knowledge, the skills, the values and the attributes that they need to work and live in a sustainable way.'

Management at the University of Sheffield (pictured) have also pledged to go fully carbon neutral, meaning the institution will remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it puts into it

Management at the University of Sheffield (pictured) have also pledged to go fully carbon neutral, meaning the institution will remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it puts into it

The lectures are set to be rolled out, in partnership with Sheffield Students' Union, across every faculty over the next five years.

It is yet to be revealed how frequent the classes will be, or how they will be funded, but Mr Lamberts said they would be about 'finding solutions to the environmental, economic and social challenges that we face.'

The vice chancellor also confirmed an 'action plan for becoming carbon neutral' was underway and will be unveiled this autumn.

The university faced criticism in March for failing to meet a 2015 promise to divest fully from fossil fuels, as official accounts showed more than £1 million of investments in three oil companies.

Many universities have taken steps to combat the climate crisis, with some selling off their investments in fossil fuels and even banning beef burgers, but few have gone as far as Sheffield (stock image)

Many universities have taken steps to combat the climate crisis, with some selling off their investments in fossil fuels and even banning beef burgers, but few have gone as far as Sheffield (stock image) 

... as university bosses rack up huge air bills

By Eleanor Harding Education Editor for the Daily Mail  

Sheffield's two most recent vice-chancellors spent tens of thousands of pounds on luxury flights in recent years.

Sir Keith Burnett, who retired last September on a salary of £455,000, was the larger spender, although his expenses for his final year in office have been kept secret. In 2016/17, Sir Keith was the sixth biggest spender on air fares among all the UK’s vice-chancellors.

Documents obtained by the University and College Union (UCU) under the Freedom of Information Act found he lavished £27,016 – all on business or first-class flights.

The previous year Sir Keith spent £24,549 on business or first-class flights. Expenses data for his successor at Sheffield, Professor Lamberts, who earns £285,000, is not available. However, as vice-chancellor of York University, he spent £11,190 on mostly business or first-class flights in 2016/17.

A Sheffield spokesman said it is working on a new ‘sustainability strategy’ to offer staff guidance on taking flights. 

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Public pressure prompted bosses to say in April they would complete divestment work - three years later.

Thousands of young people turned out in towns and cities across the UK on Friday for more than 200 events, according to the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN), and adults were invited to join for the first time.

Government ministers have been critical of students bunking off school to take part in climate protests, a movement first sparked by teenage activist Greta Thunberg.

'TIME IS RUNNING OUT': DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S WARNING TO HUMANITY

Sir David urged action against global warming and called it a man-made disaster that poses 'our greatest threat in thousands of years'

Sir David urged action against global warming and called it a man-made disaster that poses 'our greatest threat in thousands of years'

Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

'We the peoples of the United Nations'.

These are the opening words of the UN Charter.

A charter that puts people at the centre.

A pledge to give every person in the world a voice on its future.

A promise to help protect the weakest and the strongest from war, famine and other man-made disasters.

Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale.

Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate Change.

If we don't take action the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.

The United Nations provides a unique platform that can unite the whole world.

And as the Paris agreement proved, together we can make real change happen.

At this crucial moment, the United Nations has invited the world's people to have their voice heard, by giving them a seat.

The People's Seat; giving everyone the opportunity to join us here today, virtually, and speak directly to you the decision makers.

In the last two weeks, the world's people have taken part in building this address, answering polls, sending video messages and voicing their opinions.

I am only here to represent the 'Voice of the People': to deliver our collective thoughts, concerns, ideas and suggestions.

This is our 'We the peoples' message. 

The world's people have spoken. Their message is clear.

Time is running out.

They want you, the decision makers, to act now.

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Supporting you in making tough decisions but also willing to make sacrifices in their daily lives.

To help make change happen, the UN is launching the Act Now bot.

Helping people to discover simple everyday actions that they can take, because they recognize that they too must play their part.

The People have spoken.

Leaders of the world, you must lead.

The continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend, is in your hands.

Climate Change & Global Warming

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