Universities asked to prepare students for threats from water scarcity, food insecurity

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HEC organises national workshop on UI GreenMetric world university ranking

 

 

ISLAMABAD: Universities must prepare their students for a world in which they will have to face threats from climate change, water and energy scarcity, food insecurity, and waste accumulation.

This was stated by Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Dr Tariq Banuri while addressing a national workshop on ‘GreenMetric Ranking’. He said that universities must ensure that sustainability was fully incorporated in their teachings and research as well as campus operations.

The GreenMetric world university ranking is an initiative of University od Indonesia and has been adopted in several Asian universities. The current year’s ranking is focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The purpose of the national workshop was to sensitise representatives of the higher education institutes of Pakistan about emerging environmental challenges and introduce them to the GreenMetric ranking. The workshop was also addressed by UI GreenMetric Chairperson Prof Riri Fitri Sari, Junaidi and SS, MA, expert member. Representatives of over 90 universities, including vice chancellors, rectors, registrars, and faculty members attended the event.

Prof Riri Fitri Sari presented an overview of the ranking system, which was the only international ranking on sustainability in universities. In 2017, 619 universities from 76 countries were ranked. The ranking results are compiled on the basis of a number of sustainability indicators, including infrastructure (15pc), energy consumption (21pc), waste generation (18pc), water consumption (10pc), transport (18pc) and educational programmes (18pc).

Junaidi provided additional details about the UI GreenMetric indicators as well as the data submission process. This was followed by presentations by university representatives on their major sustainability initiatives.

University of Indonesia initiated a world university ranking in 2010, later known as UI GreenMetric world university rankings, to measure campus sustainability efforts. It was intended to create an online survey to portray sustainability policies and programmes in universities around the world. For details, the link [email protected] can be visited to get an invitation letter and access to the system.