Media
U of T News: U of T to divest from fossil fuel investments, create climate-positive campus
U of T recently announced to divest from all direct investments in fossil fuel companies within the next 12 months, and from indirect investments by 2030 at the latest. The University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation will allocate 10 per cent of its endowment portfolio to sustainable and low-carbon investments by 2025, and commit to an endowment portfolio that has net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
White Paper: Implications of appointed actors’ academic-operational positioning on prioritised domains for sustainability work: Insights from three universities in Europe and North America
This paper compares sustainability governance at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and the University of Toronto. Drawing from mixed-method, qualitative case-studies of the three universities, this paper seeks to understand how the academic and/or operational positioning of sustainability actors within the institutions influence the prioritization of certain domains over others in the advancement of sustainability at the universities. The purpose of this paper is twofold:
- Help upper management and staff at universities understand the benefits and challenges according to the positioning of sustainability actors or centres within their institution’s hierarchical structure;
- provide “Sustainability in Higher Education” (SHE) academics with additional insight on recent developments of sustainability in universities.
This work was made possible by the kind donation of Wendy Adams.
Op-ed: How U of T is focusing investments on a climate-secure future
CECCS Presidential Advisor and Chair, Professor John Robinson, recently wrote a Op-ed for The Varsity about U of T’s work on sustainability. Go to The Varsity to read the full article
CECCS’ Business Air Travel Report
Download the Business Air Travel Report
In 2019-2020 CECCS worked on a report to the President on three areas:
- Estimating Scope 3 business air travel emissions
- Approaches reducing air travel
- Mitigating business air travel that does take place
Adams Sustainability Celebration
The second annual Adams Sustainability Celebration has concluded. This virtual event series was held from February 23 to April 9, 2022. The inaugural Adams Sustainability Celebration series occurred from September 22, 2020 to January 21, 2021. The celebration is a tribute to the sustainability-minded community at U of T and an opportunity to build relationships and deepen collaboration around sustainability. As part of the celebration, CECCS awards $55,500 in grants and prizes. We encourage all U of T students, staff, and faculty to be on the lookout for news on the next Adams Sustainability Celebration.
U of T News: Investing to Address Climate Change: A Charter for Canadian Universities
The University of Toronto is taking on an ever more significant leadership role as a local, national, and global citizen. Our community is contributing to coalitions, partnerships and collective actions with the aim of advancing global sustainability and averting or mitigating the catastrophic threat of climate change.
In June 2020, U of T co-led the creation of Investing to Address Climate Change: A Charter for Canadian Universities to tackle climate change through a commitment to responsible investing practices.
The charter aims to standardize responsible investing practices like those implemented by University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM), which incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into its investment decisions.
Read the signed document: Investing to Address Climate Change: A Charter for Canadian Universities.