Sustainability
Health and wellbeing
Physical health
Climate change's threat to human health includes increased rates of heat-related illnesses and infectious diseases, and exacerbation of cardiopulmonary conditions.
Mental health
Climate change has been also recognised as posing a significant risk to mental health. Eco-anxiety is attracting increasing attention as public awareness about the climate and bio-diversity crisis grows.
University actions
- Including climate impacts in our staff and student health and wellbeing strategies
- Review our estate to ensure adequate availability of drinking water and shade
- Continue to monitor local air quality and put environmental and policy measures in place where necessary.
We are also tackling climate anxiety by:
- Acknowledging collective anxiety for staff and students
- Using positive messaging
- Empowerment through engagement opportunities
- Building resilience to change
- Providing eco-therapy opportunities.
Masterplan targets
2023/24
Health climate impacts in student HWB strategy
Due to the prevalence of climate awareness and thus eco-anxiety, particularly in children and young people, 48% of the global population report that they feel dismissed or ignored when they attempt to discuss climate change with peers and adults, further fuelling their anxiety and declining mental health. As such, we feel it is important that the physical and mental health effects of climate change are recognised in our student health and wellbeing strategies, and that adequate support and resources are put in place. We will continue to work with our Health and Wellbeing team to promote positive messaging.
Work with Force of Nature to tackle climate and eco-anxiety
Climate change poses a major threat to human health. Whilst the physical effects are now well-documented, climate change has also been recognised as posing a significant risk to mental health. Our research shows that whilst further understanding is required, climate and eco-anxiety does affect our University community. Force of Nature is an organisation that empowers young people to create real change through mindset programmes, training pathways and generating opportunities to turn climate anxiety into climate action. We will work closely with them to embed climate and eco-anxiety resources into our teaching and operational activities across the University and Students’ Union.
2024/25
Building fabric Design Guide
To complement the existing suite of Design Guides that must be followed for all works on the University estate, a new guide will be developed for building fabric that seeks to minimise embedded carbon within construction. In addition to considerations such as daylighting, thermal insulation and sustainable travel facilities, the guide will highlight the importance of ensuring that our buildings are able to withstand predicted changing weather patterns.
2025/26
Air quality monitoring
We will continue to monitor local air quality and will put environmental and policy measures in place where necessary to minimise negative impacts on health.
2026/27
Building fabric upgrades
Building fabric improvement is important for energy demand reduction and to enable heat decarbonisation. Building fabric is a major intervention with a significant payback, so fabric improvements will only be implemented as part of the Estates Capital Plan (which supports the Estates Master Plan).