This week, King’s College London was acknowledged for its emulation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
This year’s Impact Rankings placed King’s at 11th in the world, 2nd in the UK, and 4th in Europe for its positive social and environmental impact. This acknowledgement was announced in the third edition of THE Impact Rankings, which evaluated submissions from more than 1,000 universities worldwide.
The THE Impact Rankings use the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the social and environmental impact of institutions. The SDGs are a group of 17 goals agreed upon by the 193 member states of the UN designed to change the world by 2030. Using these goals, the Impact Rankings determine the effect of institutions’ teaching, research, stewardship, and outreach within their local, national, and international circles.
In response to the College’s rankings this year, Professor Bronwyn Parry, Interim Vice President and Vice Principal (Service), released a statement saying: “I am very proud that King’s has been recognised for our commitment to serving society and delivering the SDGs in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. Our students, staff, alumni and community partners fulfil this commitment in a number of inspirational ways and this achievement would not be possible without their dedication to bringing about real and lasting change.”
This year, the College was also singled out for the support it lends to strong institutions and its promotion of peace and justice, placing 4th globally for SDG 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”. Using this SDG, universities are ranked based on their research on law and international relations, their engagement as advisers for government, and their standpoint on academic freedom.
King’s also ranked highly for its work with local, national, and international communities, placing 10th globally for SDG 17: “Partnership for the Goals”. This is the only goal for which institutions must provide data to be ranked. King’s achieved this goal through cross-sectoral dialogue with government agencies and NGOs, international teamwork and research, local and global student volunteering initiatives, and its dedication to service-learning and civic engagement.
The university saw the most improvement regarding SDG 13: “Climate Action”. Its ranking for SDG 13 rose 30 places on the list, ranking King’s among the top 20 institutions globally for combating climate change. Using SDG 13, the Impact Rankings evaluate universities’ research on climate change, their use of energy, and their plans for handling the effects of climate change. A large factor in King’s ranking in this sector is its success in fully abandoning the use of fossil fuels nearly two years ahead of schedule.
King’s additionally placed 6th globally (tied with Simon Fraser University) for SDG 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. This goal investigates the interaction between institutions and their communities along with the role the universities play in caring for the history, culture, and heritage within them.
The College also did well regarding SDG 3: “Good Health and Wellbeing”. This goal looks into the involvement of institutions in fighting the spread of diseases like Covid-19, support for those working in healthcare, and services available for the health and wellbeing of both students and staff.
Reflecting on King’s rankings, Professor Evelyn Welch, Interim President and Principal and Provost (Arts and Sciences), stated: “At King’s we believe that ‘Our Deeds Define Us’. Last year brought home the importance and urgency of serving our local, national and international communities. By working together, our staff, students and our partners have all made this possible. We are immensely proud that this commitment has been recognised in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which demonstrate the broader social responsibility of universities.”
This news follows the radical new climate change goals made by the UK this week, the government revealing plans to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2030. The UK’s new plans come as US President Joe Biden gets ready to host a climate change summit from Washington DC.
Meeting the new goals would demand an increase in electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity, and decreased consumption of meat and dairy. Climate law will now also involve international aviation and shipping.
The Prime Minister’s promises, which will be transferred into law, speed up the previous plan for decreasing carbon emissions by 15 years, one of the largest speed-ups in the world. However, the Labour Party has stated that the government must match “rhetoric with reality”, encouraging Boris Johnson to treat “the climate emergency as the emergency it is” and demonstrate “greater ambition”.
To put words into action, homes will need to become better insulated and people will have to replace driving with walking and cycling more often. Frequent fliers will most likely have to pay more for their flights.
The government has taken on the advice of its independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) to devise their plans based on 1990 levels of carbon emissions. The International Energy Agency has predicted a major increase in CO2 emissions from energy in 2021 as the world bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Environmentalists have praised the government’s plans, but are wary of previous failures to make CCC-set targets a reality and demand that Chancellor Rishi Sunak outline clearly how new measures will be funded.
