Sustainability news

“Ladies and gentlemen, COP26 begins in Glasgow tomorrow”, announced Prince Charles. “Quite literally, it is the last chance saloon. We must now translate fine words into still finer actions.”

One year on, and policymakers, diplomats and NGOs from around the globe are meeting for COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, to build on the pledges of the previous year. These included agreements to limit global heating to an average 1.5C above pre-industrial times (currently at around 1.2C, and a step up from limiting it to 2C as agreed in Paris, 2015).

On Thursday 10th November, our Estates Travel Advice colleagues, Jodi Houghton, Beth Sear, and Lorraine Skinner attended the Milton Keynes Mayor’s Cycling and Sustainable Travel Awards Breakfast, where the OU came second in the local Top Cycling Company (for most cycling activities and miles cycled). 

In November 2021, The Open University hosted a unique event at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) as one of several initiatives to mark its commitment to responding to the climate crisis.

Our media team worked with OU expert in Environmental Systems Dr Leslie Mabon and the Science Media Centre, to sell-in his expertise to media and broadcast covering the drought and heatwave. As a result commentary from Dr Mabon was syndicated across Press Association and covered in more than 200 media outlets including the Mail on Sunday, Sky News and a large number of regional publications.

The Open University (OU) and BBC have announced the upcoming release of a new natural history series, Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough, and informed by the expertise of OU academics Dr Philip Wheeler and Dr Miranda Dyson. Photo credit: BBC/©Alex Board/Silverback Films

OU Associate Lecturer, Dr Clive Mitchell, recently had two articles published in British Soil Science Society blog and The Herald on Soils, Nature and the Climate Emergency.