De Montfort University is actively working with organisations around the world planning for climate change disasters and ways of mitigating their affects – and has done so for a decade.
DMU has been a key partner of the United Nations since 2015 working to raise awareness and promote research on the issues of forced migration, which includes a growing number of climate refugees.
The Together campaign was spearheaded by DMU and involved a network of 100 higher education universities around the world working on the issue.
In 2019, the university became the global academic hub for the UN’s SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions to continue its work.
Earlier this month, the UN announced that DMU would become the global academic hub chair for SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities working with three vice-chairs in Cologne, Germany; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Port Alegre, in Brazil.
One of the key mandates from the UN will be to work on target 11.5 Disaster Risk Reduction of SDG 11. This calls for “by 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and people affected by disasters, focusing on protecting the poor and vulnerable.”
The DMU global academic hub chair lead Dr Mark Charlton said: “The role of the four universities will be to promote awareness, research, outreach and teaching in all areas of SDG 11, but with the UN mandate of 11.5 and disaster risk reduction in mind.
“Through of work we will aim to promote best practice and with the UN disseminate the information through its thousands of affiliated organisations and governments around the world.”
DMU’s work on climate change and forced migration was recognised with official observer status being granted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
At COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023, DMU was the only university in Europe to have a dedicated pavilion within the Blue Zone, where world leaders were meeting to discuss action on climate change.
At COP 29 this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, a university delegation was again in the Blue Zone talking to government representatives about its research and work on climate change.
Dr Charlton added: “Although our work with the UN has an international dimension, much of the real-world applications and research is done locally and regionally.
“What we do in our home communities provides that best practice that can informs our UN role and shows local is just as important as global.”
The university is working with a series of local authorities, businesses, voluntary, community and social enterprises, universities and education sectors, to drive local action and work towards a shared set of environmental goals.
DMU was one of the first organisations to sign a newly-launched pact aiming to accelerate Leicestershire’s goal to become a net zero county by 2045.
The Climate and Nature Pact aims to bring the organisations involved will share energy saving strategies and work together more strategically to make the region greener.
This builds on the work of the Universities Partnership which sees Leicestershire’s universities – DMU, University of Leicester and Loughborough University collaborating on tackling climate change.
The institutions joined forces in 2022 and earlier in 2024 launched the GreenerFuture initiative builds on the Universities Partnership’s commitment to sustainability by focusing on environmental education and practical solutions for sustainable development.
The focus of the project is to decarbonise and breakdown non-technical barriers to deliver net zero. GreenerFuture provides fully funded support for:
- ·Businesses – Helping companies adopt sustainable practices, reduce emissions, and improve energy efficiency.
- Residents and communities – Offering guidance on sustainability efforts at a local level, including energy-saving strategies.
- Policymakers – Supporting local councils and decision-makers in implementing effective climate policies.
Similar work has been on-going with Leicester City Council since 2019 when the local authority declared a climate emergency, which set an ambition for the city and council to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
DMU has worked with the city on a wide range of climate action projects since the 1980s and earlier in 2024 supported the Climate Ready Leicester Guide for the 400,000 residents of the city.
This aims to show how residents can make a difference through their choices on housing, transport, heating and green spaces to mitigate the effects of climate change.