REACHING HIGHER AND MOVING FASTER
Aerial view of SFU’s Burnaby campus perched atop Burnaby Mountain in British Columbia. SUPPLIED
SFU elevates its commitments on climate action to a new level
Recognized for its sustainability leadership among universities worldwide, Simon Fraser University (SFU) is raising the bar once again. On October 19, 2021, SFU announced it has joined the United Nations-backed Race To Zero campaign – a global alliance of universities, businesses and investors, cities and regions, and other institutions committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by no later than 2050.
The university had already committed to ambitious targets for reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of its five-year 2025 Sustainability Plan. Now, SFU will put in motion accelerated timelines for reducing its carbon footprint, says Dugan O’Neil, SFU’s vice-president, research and international.
“By joining Race To Zero, we have committed to even more aggressive targets, which we will integrate into our next iteration of our sustainability plan,” says Dr. O’Neil.
“We are reaching higher and committing to collective global action alongside other pledged organizations, including more than 600 higher-education institutions,” he says. “Acting as part of a team on a worldwide level provides a higher likelihood of success.”
The new targets were developed in collaboration with our Energy Committee, who has led GHG emission reductions for the university for over 40 years, Dr. O’Neil says. The goals were carefully considered, he adds, to ensure they are ambitious, reachable and measurable.
The Race To Zero commitment for SFU is to reach net zero for direct emissions by 2035 and net zero for all emissions by 2050 – the latter date covering the carbon footprint of players in SFU’s broader network, such as suppliers and investors.
“Since 2016, SFU’s GHG emissions have been reduced by 35% compared to 2007 levels, and we have now established an interim target for a GHG reduction of 85 per cent by 2030,” says Dr. O’Neil. “We’ve been very aggressive with our own emissions, and for indirect emissions, there are longer timelines because we don’t have direct control – for some sources, we have only the power of persuasion.”
Building on a strong sustainability record
SFU has been committed to sustainability issues for many decades, beginning with energy-efficiency initiatives in the 1980s, explains Dr. O’Neil. As the world has evolved in its understanding about the scale of the climate crisis and of the massive response required, SFU has continued to lead, including with respect to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are a place that has the power to amplify the work of our researchers and to make an impact on the way people do things in society. ”
The 17 SDGs represent a global commitment to achieving a prosperous and healthy planet through action to end poverty, reduce inequality and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and preserving forests and oceans.
Since 2019, SFU has participated in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which assess universities’ performance against the SDGs. In 2021, SFU placed in the top 10 worldwide for three key SDGs: Climate Action (SDG 13), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). The Impact rankings are based on universities’ performance in four areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
The university has additional plans to put the SDGs front and centre in its plans for the future, says Dr. O’Neil. These plans include rooting the SDGs in SFU’s operations, investments, teaching, research, and community and global engagement.
Unique assets and a special responsibility
Universities have unique assets to allow them to have a large impact in the face of a climate emergency, and because of these assets, they have not only a crucial role to play but a special responsibility to take action, Dr. O’Neil says.
“I believe universities can play an even stronger role going forward,” he says. “We are a community of thousands of researchers inspired to tackle complicated problems, and we have people who pursue research, teaching and learning on just about every aspect of the sustainability challenge – low-carbon technologies, government policies, economic incentives and regulations, and social inequities.”
Another strength to build on, for SFU in particular, is engagement with wider communities. As “Canada’s engaged university,” SFU is primed to continue to be a major player.
“None of it will mean very much if we do not connect what we’re doing to the communities we are in – our cities, provinces and countries and the international community,” says Dr. O’Neil.
“We have the opportunity to leverage the assets we already have inside our institution to make an outsized impact. We are a place that has the power to amplify the work of our researchers and to make an impact on the way people do things in society.”
As the diverse SDGs illustrate, social, economic and environmental aspirations are tightly interconnected, and universities are uniquely suited to use their own interconnections to produce change.
“Everything is connected in nature and in biological systems. The SDGs point out that we sometimes forget that humans are part of that interconnected system. The world understands better than ever that it’s not possible to create sustainability without thinking about economic systems, and social systems and inequities,” he says.
“To genuinely confront these interconnected challenges, we need a group of people bringing different perspectives to the table. At SFU, we are experienced in creating interdisciplinary teams within the institution and in collaborating with other universities internationally to tackle the kind of complex ‘grand challenge’ that the SDGs represent.”
Learn more at sfu.ca/sdgs.
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