Climate change and biodiversity loss threaten planetary health and access to food, water and safety. So what is the research community doing to respond to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s conclusion that ‘there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all’?

The Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice (‘the Concordat’) is a voluntary commitment of the UK research and innovation sector to conduct research in a more environmentally sustainable way.

The Concordat identifies priority areas across leadership, infrastructure, procurement, travel, partnerships and reporting. It has been signed by a wide range of universities and research institutions. While welcome, it remains voluntary, self-governed, with no specific requirements or reporting mechanisms. This is likely to limit its potential.

Nevertheless there is a growing appetite for action. In this blog post, we share five scalable examples of how different research organisations are shifting expectations and norms.

Money talks

Cancer Research UK and Wellcome have built environmental sustainability into their funding policies, requiring applicants to have a recognised green lab accreditation, work in an institution that is a signatory to the Concordat, reduce energy and water consumption and waste, and travel only where there is no virtual alternative. Can this be normalised among other funding bodies, and included in decision-making criteria and awarding conditions?

Ethically challenged

BERA has introduced responsibility to the environment in its most recent Ethical Guidelines, and case studies prompt researchers to consider the environmental implications of research – see for example the hidden curriculum of conference sustainability and the environmental impacts of the AI revolution. How can institutional ethics committees pay more than lip service to this responsibility?

Next generation

It is vital that researchers across all fields know what climate breakdown means for their work and life. The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Aerosol Science,^[1] led by the University of Bristol, has made environmental sustainability a leadership priority, working across its partnership of higher education institutions, the public sector and industrial partners to make, monitor and evaluate progress. What opportunities are there for creating a green transformation with the next generation of researchers?

Visible leadership and learning

The Concordat emphasises the need for visible leadership. At the University of York, senior leaders in Social Sciences and Professional Services have used the Climate Fresk workshop as a stimulus for developing a shared understanding of the scale and impacts of climate change, and identifying priority projects for action within the institution. What support do leaders need to transform knowledge into action?

Shifting the norm

Air travel is one of the most carbon-intensive research activities. Academic travel can account for up to a third of some university emissions (Theeuwes et al., 2025). The University of Antwerp is shifting the norm by promoting a travel hierarchy that encourages short haul alternatives and collects a CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) financial contribution for flights taken on university business. How do we fund often longer and costlier travel options?

These examples show how norms are shifting across the sector.

‘As researchers, we can lead by example, champion efforts to figure out the best ways to do research more responsibly and sustainably, and use our positions for infrapolitical dissent.’

While the Concordat is a much-needed step in sector-wide acknowledgement of the need for rapid emissions reductions, institutional transformation requires more than voluntary action. Slutzman et al. (2024) call for mandated reporting of emissions along with verification and accountability mechanisms. As well as this ‘stick’, we can emphasise the co-benefits of acting more sustainably: the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with colleagues and peers, and the stimulation that comes with trying to work better, not more.

Research consistently shows that more people care than we think. As researchers, we can lead by example, champion efforts to figure out the best ways to do research more responsibly and sustainably, and use our positions for infrapolitical dissent. Research leaders can change research cultures and experiment with, and share, new ways of incorporating environmental sustainability into research. Every fraction of a degree of warming averted saves lives and reduces suffering. What’s your action? Why not reach out to a colleague and plan together…

^[1] The EPSRC is the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

References

Theeuwes, N., Shokrgozar, S., Ahonen, V. (2025). Academic travel from above and below: Institutions, ideas, and interests shaping contemporary practices. Energy Research & Social Science, 119, Article 103890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103890

Slutzman, J. E., Barratt, A., & Sherman, J. D. (2024). Environmental sustainability of research and innovation. BMJ, 386. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1760