Climate Plan Annual Progress Report 2023

Introduction

The Climate Plan was approved by the University Council in November 2021 and represents the single biggest investment ever made by the University of Leeds.

We committed £174 million to the plan to 2030 and established a Climate Principles Programme to oversee delivery against our objectives.

Seven Climate Principles were adopted to guide the ways in which the University would seek to address the climate crisis and achieve our ambitions.

We are now two years into the programme, and I want to share with you an update on our progress.

The publication of this Climate Plan Annual Progress Report represents the first stage of this progress review.

The Climate Plan Research Partnership Committee (CPRPC) has conducted a review of the work completed so far and our planned next steps. The review was requested by the Climate Principles Programme Board, which has overall accountability for delivery of the Climate Plan.

The review will ensure that Climate Plan delivery stays true to its original aims, remains ambitious and takes advantage of the developments in social and technical solutions.

A group of experts, including an external advisor, undertook the progress review, informed by a public consultation.

As a result, the second Annual Progress Review (Download PDF 8.29MB) of the University of Leeds Climate Plan has been published by the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures.

This review and wider feedback will be considered by the University’s Climate Principles Programme Board and will inform our next steps in the delivery of our Climate Plan.

Our University strategy: Universal Values, Global Change emphasises the need to collaborate to deliver global impact. This principle is key to our Climate Plan.

I would like to thank everyone across our University community who has been working hard to deliver this ambitious sector-leading plan.

Professor Hai-Sui Yu FREng 
Interim Vice-Chancellor and President 
University of Leeds