Committing to a Better Planet

Blogs
Female college student tends sweet peppers in field at UC Davis' Student Farm.
Daniella Schoenfeld, a sustainable agriculture and food systems major, tends to sweet peppers at the Student Farm for the UC Davis Dining Services in 2019. (Gregory Urquiaga, UC Davis)

UC Davis reaffirmed its commitment to a better planet by joining global leaders on recent statements calling for actions on sustainability, equality, equitable economic growth and climate change.

The UN

In the first, the university joined 58 signatories in a statement calling for action on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which global governments committed to achieving by 2030.

To that end, UC Davis began a Voluntary University Review earlier this year to measure its progress in addressing the goals and spur collaboration to help meet them. A UC Davis Spring Forum on the SDGs is being held May 19, from 4 to 5pm by the offices of Global Affairs; Sustainability; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

graphic of UC sustainable development goals

The US

The second statement is a letter sent to President Biden April 8 calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to levels 50 percent below those seen in 2005 by the year 2030 — a goal the Biden administration agreed to on Earth Day, April 22.

“Given the central role higher education plays in society, we affirm that solving global challenges, like the challenges posed by global climate change, is a key part of our educational missions,” says the letter, signed by 75 college and university leaders from around the country. “Through our curriculum, research, and operations, we will continue to be engines of innovation driving climate solutions in this country, and around the world, in the years ahead.”

 

Media Resources

Kat Kerlin is an environmental science writer and media relations specialist at UC Davis. She’s the editor of the “What Can I Do About Climate Change?” blog. kekerlin@ucdavis.edu. @UCDavis_Kerlin

Primary Category

Secondary Categories

Science and Climate

Tags