The Students' Union hereby declares a climate emergency. This decision was made following a motion passed at the Student Council in 2019 and reafirmed in 2024. A declaration of climate emergency is the first step to acknowledge the situation but action must follow. We are following other Universities, Student Unions and public institutions in acknowledging current crisis and committing to take action.
If you want to get involved in working with us to tackle the climate crisis, you can join existing groups within the SU, e.g. join the E&E Committee. Get in touch with them through their Facebook page or email your VP for Communities.
Read the full Decleration Below:
CLIMATE EMERGENCY DECLARATION
In short
We are in the midst of a Climate Emergency; a climate crisis primarily driven by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Consequently, human-induced global warming is disrupting weather patterns, causing more frequent and severe extreme weather events, posing significant risks to ecosystems and humanity.
We all need to act NOW to reduce emissions, improve community resilience, and secure a sustainable future.
Capitalism: a self-destructive economy
Capitalism is at the core of the crisis we are currently facing. The climate emergency is the result of centuries of colonial expropriation, marketisation of natural resources and systemic injustices. We need to break free from the self-destructive “profit over people & planet” agenda. What is more, the effects of the climate crises are most severe in the Global South and in low-income communities. Thus, empowering local communities and breaking historic dependencies through community-owned energy projects is essential in the process of just transition.
The role of universities
Universities are institutions from which student activism emerges with a powerful voice that shapes the future. We, the youth, are at the forefront of this movement, driven by the understanding that our future depends on the actions we take today. Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow; we are the changemakers of today, on a local, national and global level. As institutions of learning, interdisciplinary research, and innovation, universities are uniquely positioned to educate and empower the leaders of tomorrow.
Supporting student led action
As the Students’ Union, we support the freedom and right of students to stand up for their beliefs. We empower students to shape the future they envision and so desperately need. By raising awareness of the climate emergency, we are stepping up to make the change our current leaders have fallen short.
It is pivotal that we, as the student community, are active contributors to the solutions for the climate crisis. Because “If we are not at the table, we are part of the menu.”
Our Commitment
As student representatives, we pledge to:
• Advocate for climate education, ethical investment and sustainability initiatives within the University of Aberdeen.
• Collaborate with university administration, the schools, and the wider community to drive meaningful climate action.
• Support and encourage research and projects that aim to combat climate change.
• Empower our student community to carry out sustainability initiatives.
• Promote sustainable practices in our daily lives and provide our student community with opportunities to live more sustainably.
Our Priorities
1. Transport
Transport is the biggest emitter in Scotland. And while we recognise that especially for our international students there is no alternative to long distance flights, we have a responsibility to promoting active and sustainable transportation on a local a national level. This is all part of our SHIFT! Campaign (hyperlink with more info)
2. Housing
Bad housing conditions such as lack of proper insulation, can lead to high energy costs and uncomfortable living conditions, affecting the physical and mental health as well as financial stress of our students. Sustainable housing is crucial for minimizing environmental impact and promoting healthier living conditions. Incorporating energy-efficient designs, renewable energy sources, and eco-friendly materials can reduce carbon footprints and resource consumption. For students, sustainable housing can significantly enhance their well-being and academic performance by providing a comfortable and healthy living environment.
At the Students’ Union, we are committed to advocating for sustainable housing conditions.
3. Waste
The current linear economy encourages mass production and consumption, leading to excessive waste generation and resource depletion, contributing to environmental degradation. Transitioning to a more sustainable circular economy, which emphasizes resource efficiency and waste reduction, is essential to address these critical challenges.
Additionally, climate change exacerbates pest and disease outbreaks, further compromising food production.
Therefore, at the Students’ Union, we provide students with the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy with initiatives such as our SwapShop, a free second-hand store which encourages students and staff to donate items they no longer need or want, instead of disposing of them and buying new ones.
4. Food
Food security is becoming a rising concern due to the increasing effects of climate change, which disrupt agricultural productivity and food supply chains. Extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves damage crops and reduce yields, alter growing seasons and affect soil health. Additionally, climate change exacerbates pest and disease outbreaks, further compromising food production. As a result, climate change is contributing to the rise in food prices, alongside the cost-of-living crisis.
In order to make food more accessible to our students, while contributing to reducing waste and making sustainable shopping more affordable, at the Students’ Union we have several food initiatives: The Zero Waste Shop, FoodSharing and our Community Cafes.
In addition, the agricultural sector is essentially unsustainable, driven by intensive farming practices of meat and dairy production which deplete soil health, reduce biodiversity, and increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, at the Students’ Union we are working towards transitioning to more plant-based food options at our cafe and lobbing the university to do so as well, having plant-based menus as the default option.
Further Material
We used a variety of resources to write this declaration. Please find them here:
GHG and Climate Change from 2013: PowerPoint Presentation (unfccc.int)
IPCC reports: Reports — IPCC
I based some of my paragraph on this: » Der Klimakrise sind eure Bauchschmerzen egal – Vorhaben zu neuen Ölförderprojekten stoppen Antragstool Jusos Bayern
Maybe? Researching climate justice: a decolonial approach to global climate governance | International Affairs | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
Transport and environment statistics 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
One billion euros to decarbonise urban transport in Spanish cities - European Commission (europa.eu)
New funding and actions to improve urban mobility in Spain - European Commission (europa.eu)
Active Commuting and Sustainable Mobility in Spanish Cities: Systematic Review (researchgate.net)
Other SU’s Declaration:
University & Students' Union declare a Climate Emergency @ UWTSD Students' Union (uwtsdunion.co.uk)
UoNSU (nottingham.ac.uk)
Students’ Union Accreditation
Green Impact Students’ Unions
For 2021-22 the Students Union increased our ranking from "Very Good" to "Excellent"! This is the second consecutive increase in ranking, and we now rank in the highest possible tier.
NUS SOS-UK’s GISU is a comprehensive and broad measure of how well a Students’ Union is doing in Sustainability.
This illustrates how our campaigns, student activities, policies, operations, partnerships, understanding, and strategy are becoming more a more effective force for climate justice and sustainable development.
Find out more: Green Impact | Students Organising for Sustainability | Green Impact is SOS-UK's sustainability engagement programme for teams (nus.org.uk)
Carbon Literate Organisation
The Students’ Union was certified as a Bronze Carbon Literate Organisation 2020-2023.
To achieve this the Students’ Union’s staff team, attend a full day in-depth carbon literacy course in which they learn about the Causes & Impacts of climate change, what we can do and how to communicate this to others.
We also offer this training to students regularly! Keep an eye on the “What’s On” section of our website if you are interested!
Find out more:
Organisation - The Carbon Literacy Project
Fair Trade certified products
Union brew café stocks Fair Trade Sugar, Tea, Coffee and Chocolate. As well as meaning that these products are produced with higher sustainability standards than conventional agriculture, this also means that farmers in some of the worlds poorest countries can rely on a minimum price and a Fair-Trade premium.
Our top 5 Environmental impacts, and what we are doing to tackle them.
In 2019 AUSA declared a climate emergency following a motion voted on in Student Council. As such AUSA is committed to operating sustainably and reducing our environmental footprint wherever we can. The first step in doing this is assessing what impact we have. This is not an easy task as much of what we do is intertwined with the operations of the University or other partners. Therefore, some of the points below are based on educated estimates, which we hope to be able to back up with more data in the future.
Below you will see what we estimate our top five environmental impacts are, and what we are already doing or planning to do to reduce these.
Office
While we don’t have data of exactly how much energy our office uses in isolation of the rest of the building, our busy main office is bound to be one of our highest energy consumers. We have made a guide for staff to save energy in the office and are making some operational changes to reduce the energy our office consumes. The University has a target and strategy of being carbon neutral by 2040, while we share our office infrastructure with the University our energy consumption and net footprint will be on the same road to net-zero.
While we are happy to be back on campus after a long period of homeworking due to the coronavirus pandemic. We recognise that having a flexible working policy contributes to a large reduction of emissions associated with rush hour traffic.
Union Brew
Union brew will be undergoing a phase of planning and redevelopment. As part of this we will be considering how it’s environmental footprint can be minimised, by referring to tools such as the SOS-Sustainable food guide
Events
From “Freshers’ week” to “Kings Ball” AUSA would not be the same without events. There is much we can do however to reduce the environmental impact these have. Moving away from single items, reducing waste, and using sustainable catering options are all areas we can cut emissions. Watch this space for a sustainable events plan.
Of cause many exciting events are organised and run directly by Student Societies and Sports clubs. We run an annual sustainability course for committee members, to support with planning events sustainably amongst other actions.
Business Travel
Some travel cannot be avoided, this includes sending your elected sabbaticals and other delegates to represent you at national conferences. The best thing we can do to cut emissions is to avoid air travel where possible. This will be reflected in our business travel guide.
As travel is a scope 3 emission which happens off site, it may in the future be considered appropriate to offset these emissions in a local reputable offsetting program.
Sports and Societies Travel
With 202 vehicles hired in the year Feb 2021-2022 driving 51186 miles, the estimated impact annual impact of AUSA’s sports travel is about 5.5 tCO2e. This will reduce over time as vehicles become more efficient and electric, we also encourage students to use U22 free bus travel where possible. It was measured by the AberGreen project that the student run SwapShop saved 15.2tCO2e by reducing waste and consumption in the period 2018-2020.