Our environmental work
The University of Gothenburg is actively working to reduce its climate impact and have signed up for the Swedish Climate Framework. At the School of Global Studies, we have several sustainability-marked courses, we conduct environmental and sustainability focused research, offer doctoral studies within Environmental Social Science, and take active sustainability considerations in all our work.
We do environmental and climate research
At the School of Global Studies, we conduct research within the subject Environmental Social Science. Our research focuses on environmental issues and analyses crucial aspects of human-nature relations applying different lenses and approaches. The research is problem-driven and relates to urgent global challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, urban growth, distribution of land and water resources as well as health and food security.
The department also offers a PhD Programme in Environmental Social Science that provides a platform for interrogating how we understand and investigate the relationships between society and the environment. The aim of the PhD programme is to educate researchers in undertaking the complex issues created by today's global challenges.
Master courses in Human Ecology
The sustainability perspective is more important than ever and at our master courses in Human Ecology, you examine the interplay between human societies and natural environments. You learn about contemporary environmental issues and examine how sustainable development can be achieved through societal organization and new technology. You also learn about the connections between global injustices, pollution, and climate change.
Internal environmental work at the School of Global Studies
The University of Gothenburg’s environmental management system is certified according to ISO14001. At the School of Global Studies, we carry out an environmental audit every year using the department action plan for environmental and sustainability work.
The School of Global Studies regularly follows up on its carbon emissions and is aware that the majority of these emissions come from staff air travel related to conferences, fieldwork, teaching and administrative meetings. The school has therefore developed a policy for reducing carbon emissions from air travel, including a carbon budget for the years 2023-2030.
The school takes recycling very seriously and tries to recycle employee packaging as much as possible. Mini recycling stations have been placed on each floor, in addition to the communal kitchen. To minimize the amount of packaging, glass boxes have also been purchased for employees' take-away food. In addition, the School of Global Studies is part of the University of Gothenburg and the Municipality of Gothenburg's joint service '"Tage" for the reuse of furniture and loose furnishings and aims to reduce purchases of newly manufactured furniture.
The School of Global Studies is planning to build a greenhouse with solar cells for growing vegetables and producing its own sustainable electricity. This is part of the student-led "urban gardening" project, where a green space outside the school is being transformed into a growing area and social meeting place. This includes plans to make use of employees' food waste to produce composted soil for cultivation, according to a conscious eco-cycle approach.
The school is also part of the Faculty of Social Sciences' Environmental Council.
