Climate change and the rapid deterioration of the environment have become a hot topic of conversation following Sir David Attenborough’s speech at the opening ceremony of UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland.
The naturalist said that climate change is the greatest threat humanity has faced in thousands of years, one that if left unchecked could potentially lead to the fall of civilisation and mass extinction events.
We will be looking into the overall outcome of the green and sustainable policies in place in UCLan and Lancaster University to determine just how much of an impact they have.
The wind turbine at Lancaster University has produced a noticeable impact, producing 11 to 17%(dependent upon wind speeds) of the University’s electricity on its own. In total, the wind turbine, CHP(Combined Heat and Power Engine) and Biomass Boiler combined are responsible for a reduction in carbon emissions of the class of 3,800-5,000t per annum. To put this into scale, this reduction in carbon emissions is equivalent to taking 750 cars off the streets.
(image courtesy of University of Central Lancashire)
I also reached out to Clair Engl, UCLan’s Sustainability Manager, to find out the effectiveness of the green policies at UCLan. While specific numbers were not provided, she said that the institution was EMS certified to ISO14001:2015 – a certification which is only awarded after an external audit has taken place to confirm and measure the presence of environmentally friendly practices and mechanisms.
Unfortunately universities can not bring forth enough of a change on their own, but perhaps they can inspire other, bigger organisations and government bodies to follow suit – because if Sir David Attenborough’s predictions hold true, we’re running out of time.
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