UCC and UCD found to be among world's most sustainable universities 

UCC has ambitions for a zero-waste campus by 2030 and a carbon neutral campus by 2040, implementing a five-year plan and 62 actions it says will cut its environmental footprint. Picture: Larry Cummins

A number of Irish universities have climbed the global ladder when it comes to sustainability, with University College Cork (UCC) and University College Dublin (UCD) taking their places among the world's best.

UCC was ranked sixth best globally in the most environmentally friendly universities in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, which assessed almost 1,200 institutions across 85 countries. It is up one place from last year’s ranking. The announcement was made in Dubai where the UN's climate change summit Cop28 is taking place.

Only two Dutch, and one of each from German, British, and US universities finished higher than the Cork institution across the world.

The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking was set up in 2010 and examines universities and their work towards reducing their carbon footprint and helping combat climate change.

UCC has ambitions for a zero-waste campus by 2030 and a carbon neutral campus by 2040, implementing a five-year plan and 62 actions it says will cut its environmental footprint. 

UCC went plastic free on campus in 2023, eliminating the waste of one million paper cups.

President of UCC, Prof John O'Halloran, said: "It is incumbent on universities to lead and inspire the change we want to see in the world. 

The way we operate has changed significantly over the years and the passion of our students and staff has driven that change.”

In a separate ranking, UCD was judged to be first in Ireland and eighth in Europe when it comes to sustainability.

The QS World University Rankings for Sustainability placed UCD in the top 50 in the world for 2024, using a range of categories.

UCD rose more than 120 places from last year to break into the top 50 in the QS rankings, which looked at more than 1,400 universities worldwide.

Professor Tasman Crowe, who was appointed vice-president for Sustainability at UCD in June this year, said the achievement "reflects the high level of commitment of staff and students across the university to transitioning to more sustainable approaches".

He said: "UCD has long been a prominent contributor to sustainability, with great strength in energy, agri-environmental systems, the circular economy, and humanitarian action, for example, and through innovative educational programmes."

The University of Limerick (UL) broke into the top 175 in the world in this year's QS sustainability rankings, a jump of more than 125 places.

UL is now ranked 77th in Europe and is in fifth position in Ireland compared to sixth last year.

UL president Kerstin Mey said: “This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainability, an ethos deeply embedded in the fabric of our institution. 

"UL stands aligned with global efforts to integrate sustainability not just into our academic programmes but into the very essence of our research, innovation, and campus practices."

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB