The UAB to dedicate this academic year to raising awareness on the need to reduce fossil fuel consumption

Renewable energies are obtained from inexhaustible natural sources, while fossil fuels are limited and cannot be renewed. The transition to renewable energies is fundamental to guarantee a sustainable energy supply in the long-term. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels produces the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which then traps heat inside our atmosphere, thus making these gases the main culprits  of global warming and climate change.

That is why the main objective of this year’s campaign it to raise awareness among society for the need to reduce the use of oil, coal and gas, and increase the use of clean and renewable energies.

Science Carriage and inauguration of the new academic year

The thematic year will begin with the start of the second edition of the UAB Science Carriage, an initiative organised jointly by the UAB and the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) offering an interactive monothematic exhibition inside one of the trains travelling to and from the UAB. This year, in its second edition, the subject will focus on fossil fuels and renewable alternatives.

The initiative was very well received last year during its first edition, dedicated to mental health, and this year will include the participation of over 30 researchers from the UAB, the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Centre for Ecological REsearch and Forestry Applications (CREAF).

The activities will continue with the fall edition of La Comunitària, which will take place on 1 October from 12 noon to 4 p.m. around the UAB's Plaça Cívica.

Subsequently, on 14 October at 12 noon in the conference hall of the Rectorat building, the institutional inauguration of the academic year will take place. Kevin Anderson, professor of Energy and Climate Change at the Tyndall Centre of the University of Manchester's School of Engineering, will deliver the inaugural lecture, which will also be streamed live on the UAB's YouTube channel.

The UAB’s commitment to the environment

As a university, the UAB has a long-standing commitment to the environment. In these past few years, it has notably reduced its consumption of fossil fuels and increased its use of renewable energies.

In this sense, in April 2024 the UAB approved an ambitious climate policy programme that aimed to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, reduce the University’s carbon footprint, and compensate greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2030.

The UAB pioneered the creation of an academic programme in Environmental Sciences as well as research in this area; it is also home to the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, ICTA), one of the top international research centres in this field; and it has also implemented several improvement plans to better manage the campus environment, such as its Sustainability Plan (2013-2017), the Health and Sustainability Campus (2018-2022) and the SiS Campus Plan (2023). In fact, the UAB’s Strategic Plan 2018-2030 clearly states the intention to implement a sustainable university model, with emphasis on training, promoting environmental awareness and mobility.