Capstick, Stuart

Demski, Christina

Latter, Briony

Online Research @ Cardiff

CAST BRIEFING 22 - January 2024Researchers want to take climate action. Almost all researchers want to do more in their roles toaddress climate change. The majority also think universities and research councils have a highresponsibility to act, with many who think university action is currently insufficient. Researchers think research culture, processes and guidance need to change. Most researchers thinkfunding processes do not incentivise low-carbon approaches to research and their university does notprovide them with information about how to conduct low-carbon research. A majority also think theresearch culture of universities needs to change to address climate change generally. Researchers need support in overcoming multiple barriers to taking climate action. Key barriers relateto personal knowledge (uncertainty about what actions to take) and cultural and practical issues (highworkload, lack of power). Barriers are differentiated by subject areas and career stages. The barriers can be overcome in multiple ways. Researchers would address climate change throughtheir roles if they knew what actions to take, had more institutional support and greater capacity.  They have insights and practical suggestions about how to move forward that are untapped byuniversities.Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UKuniversities: A briefing for the university sector Key messages:CAST is a global hub for understanding the systemic and society-widetransformations that are required to address climate change. Based atthe University of Bath, our additional core partners are Cardiff University,the University of East Anglia, the University of York, the University ofManchester and the charity Climate Outreach. IntroductionThis briefing is intended as a resource for all those working in the university sector.  Interest in the relationship between the activities of universities and action on climate change isgrowing, becoming particularly prominent towards the end of the 2010s, with several universitiesdeclaring climate emergencies. While there has been some progress in the sector such aswidespread fossil fuel divestment, until recently there has been little focus on the critical role ofresearchers, particularly regarding how research practices and culture can enable or inhibitchange. Action to address climate change needs to focus on how researchers work, not only thecontent of their research.  To build a greater understanding of this, we conducted a UK-wide representative survey ofuniversity researchers to explore: Researchers’ perceptions of the measures that universities take to tackle their own emissions(e.g. knowledge of university initiatives, perceived responsibility) Researchers’ own engagement on issues surrounding the climate crisis (e.g. worry, advocacy,perceived relevance to their subject area and research role) Challenges and opportunities for researchers to contribute to university climate action(covering personal, cultural and practical issues)  Read the full findings in the journal article:Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 2024 2Research methodsThese findings are from a representative online survey conducted in summer 2022.Responses were received from 1,853 researchers across 127 universities in England,Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – covering 79% of the total number of UKuniversities. Over 5,000 open text responses were also received. Respondents are a mixof early, mid and senior career researchers. Most (65%) do not research or teach onclimate change, and the mix of disciplines is largely reflective of the UK Higher Educationsector. Some survey questions were kept deliberately broad (e.g. ‘address climate change’)and will have been interpreted in different ways by respondents. However, they allow forconclusions to be drawn about researchers’ views. Wanting to be part of change but feeling overworked and disempowered: Researchers’ perceptions ofclimate action in UK universitiesFindings3Almost all (94.8%) researchers are extremely, very or somewhat worried about climate changeand almost all (95.5%) want to do more on climate change in their university, though fewer wantto do so specifically through their role.  They also think the sector needs to act. 82.3% think universities have a high responsibility foraddressing climate change, along with research councils (74.7%). Almost half think theiruniversities are not doing enough on climate change with regard to research activities (45%) andthe university’s own impacts and emissions (48.4%). There are also concerns around lip service orgreenwashing. Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 2024Climate actionResearch culture, processes and guidance 66.2% of researchers think their university does not provide them with information about how toconduct their research in a low-carbon way, compared to 16.9% who feel it does. There is asimilar perception towards funding. 54.7% think funding processes do not incentivise low-carbonapproaches to research compared to 14.8% who think they do.The results show high support (63.8%) for changing the research culture of universities to betteraddress climate change; only 16.2% feel it does not need to change. Other key barriers are inflexible university processes, pressure to travel, lack of staff expertiseand lack of institutional support.  There are different barriers across subject areas and career stages. Climate researchers are morethan twice as likely to feel they know how to address the topic and almost three times morelikely to think their work can positively address it compared to non-climate researchers. Anotable result is that medicine, health and life sciences researchers do not think their subject areais as relevant for addressing climate change compared to those in other disciplines.  Early and mid-career researchers face a lack of agency or power to take climate action, a lack ofmaterials/resources and too much professional risk. Early-career researchers lack institutionalsupport, have a lack of climate projects and are uncertain about what actions to take, whereas ahigh workload is faced more by mid-career researchers. Findings4Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 2024Researchers have insights and practical suggestions about how universities can support them toaddress climate change in their research practices (e.g. slow travel policies) and how they can doso themselves (e.g. resist pressure for excessive international travel). However, their wealth ofideas, particularly where they differ between subject areas, is currently untapped. Overall, themost popular enablers for researchers to be able to take climate action through their roles are: How to overcome barriers to climate action BarriersResearchers face multiple barriers to doing more on climate change in their universities:45.5% 37.1%57.5%High workload Uncertainty aboutwhat actions to takeLack of agency orpower to actOther enablers include more funding for climate-related research, more climate projects, greateragency or power, and different university processes.50.9% 50.2%51.6%Knowledge of whatactions to takeMore institutionalsupportReduced workloadRecommendations5Understand that researchers want to take climate action in universities, both within andoutside of their roles. Provide researchers with more knowledge about what climate actions they can take. Theyneed institutional support to implement actions and allocated time within their roles for themto do so.  Institutional support and actions should not be taken purely through sustainability teams.While this could be enacted through institutional climate action plans, funding bodies anduniversity leadership should also consider how wider processes can facilitate researchers toact.  Address the barriers and incentives that researchers face. For example, travel is a central partof research culture and pressure to travel is a barrier to climate action. Improve institutional climate action and increase researchers’ awareness of this, ensuringresponsibility to act is not shifted to researchers. Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 20241) Knowledge and institutional culture: Help researchers understand how toengage in climate action in universities, as well as creating the culture andconditions for them to do so2) Targeted solutions: Provide tailored engagement and solutions forresearchers at different career stages and in different subject areasEnable researchers to better understand how to address the climate crisis in their researchpractices in a relevant way for their subject areas and career stages. Ensure that universitiesmake appropriate changes and offer relevant support. For example, efforts should be made to reduce the gap between climate and non-climateresearchers so that those not working in climate change feel better able to contribute theirown expertise. Involvement from different types of researchers will allow for different ideasand forms of engagement, both within and outside of universities.  Further readingReferences/Further reading:Hoolohan, C. et al. (2021) ‘Responding to the climate emergency: how are UK universitiesestablishing sustainable workplace routines for flying and food?’, Climate Policy, 21(7), pp.853–867. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2021.1881426. Latter, B. and Capstick, S. (2021) ‘Climate Emergency: UK Universities’ Declarations and TheirRole in Responding to Climate Change’, Frontiers in Sustainability, 2, p. 660596. Available at:https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2021.660596. McCowan, T. (2023) ‘Internationalisation and Climate Impacts of Higher Education: Towardsan Analytical Framework’, Journal of Studies in International Education, p. 102831532311648.Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153231164843. The Royal Anniversary Trust (2023) Accelerating the UK Tertiary Education Sector towards NetZero: A sector-led proposal for action and connected thinking. The Royal Anniversary Trust.Available at: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/topics/climate-and-sustainability/accelerating-uk-tertiary-education Thierry, A. et al. (2023) ‘“No research on a dead planet”: preserving the socio-ecologicalconditions for academia’, Frontiers in Education, 8, p. 1237076. Available at:https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1237076. Urai, A.E. and Kelly, C. (2023) ‘Rethinking academia in a time of climate crisis’, eLife, 12, p.e84991. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.84991. 6Suggested citation: Latter, B., Demski, C., Capstick, S. (2024) Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action inUK universities. CAST Briefing 22.Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 2024CAST is a global hub for understanding the systemicand society-wide transformations that are requiredto address climate change.We research and develop the social transformations needed to produce a low-carbon andsustainable society; at the core of our work is a fundamental question of enormous socialsignificance: How can we as a society live differently – and better – in ways that meet theurgent need for rapid and far-reaching emission reductions?Based at the University of Bath, our additional core partners are Cardiff University,University of East Anglia, University of York, University of Manchester and the charityClimate Outreach. CAST is funded by theEconomic and SocialResearch Council7Follow us on X/Twitter @CAST_CentreFollow us on LinkedIn @cast-centreRead more on our website at cast.ac.ukAcademic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector | January 2024

Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector

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Academic researchers’ perceptions of climate action in UK universities: A briefing for the university sector

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