Join the Race to Zero before 10th November 2025

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Universities & Colleges of the world:

sign up to the Race to Zero,

a global initiative for a 

Zero Carbon World

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Powered by the UN Environment Programme, EAUC & Second Nature - Race to Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and action in the education sector

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Together we can make an impact

 

“Every university and college should show leadership and sign up to the Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges” Alok Sharma, COP26 President

 

Join us today

Institutions involved

1238

Cop 30

10.11.2025

Institutions committed

575

Students represented

11,813,247

Days until Cop 30

146

We need you to commit now!

Why we need University and College support

Nigar Arpadarai

Nigar Arpadarai

High-Level Climate Champion of Azerbaijan for COP29

Dan Ioschpe

Dan Ioschpe

High-Level Climate Champion of Brazil for COP30

How it works

Pledge >

Pledge at head-of-organisation level to reach (net) zero GHGs as soon as possible, and by mid-century at the latest, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5C. Set an interim target to achieve in the next decade, which reflects maximum effort towards or beyond a fair share of the 50% global reduction in CO2 by 2030 identified in the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C. You have one year after you sign to set your targets. 

Plan >

Within 12 months of joining explain what actions will be taken toward achieving both interim and longer-term pledges, especially in the short-to-medium term. You have one year after you sign to set your action plan. 

Refer to the full details on the refined criteria, and accompanying interpretation guide and language guide. It is expected that universities and colleges include scope 3 emissions as the same as businesses do. 

Proceed >

Take immediate action toward achieving (net) zero, consistent with delivering interim targets specified. You have one year after you sign to set your targets. 

The Race to Zero criteria is set by an Expert Peer Review Group, which comprises scientific and technical experts from around the world.

Publish >

Commit to report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually. You have one year after you sign to develop your annual report. 

Persuade >

Persuade, the 5th P of the Campaign was introduced in recognition of the importance of aligning each actor’s influencing capacities with their net zero commitments. Please refer to page 38 and 39 of the 5th P Handbook to learn more about the important role that education organisations can play in influencing wider society to achieve net zero. 

Making an Impact

You

Decide it's time universities and colleges take action now.

Sign up and say that your institution wants to be zero carbon. Once signed you have up to one year to set your target and agree your action plan.

Tell us what actions your institution is already taking and what you plan to do next.

We

Show commitment - we will send you your Race to Zero certificate so you can show that your university or college is leading the way in the climate crisis.

Keep you updated with ideas and projects to reduce your carbon even further. 

Together

We all unite to represent the voice of universities and colleges to global governments.

We show global governments that there is a vital need for their support each year at COP to make every university & college zero carbon by 2030.

Current Signatories

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
University of Exeter
Girne American University
University of Turku
The University of Surrey
Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
West Lothian College
City College Norwich
Universidad de Murcia
University of the West of England  Bristol
Universidad de La Frontera
Polytechnique Montreal
Emlyon Business School
University of Mondragon
Royal Agricultural Univeristy
Instituto Superior Técnico
Universidad de Valladolid
Universidad Metropolitana de Honduras
Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM)
Swinburne University of Technology
Universidad de Morón
Goldsmiths, University of London
University of Genoa
Universidad Católica de Ávila
Université du Québec à Montréal
Universidad Técnica Nacional
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Aalto University Student Union
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Universidad Nacional de Ciencias Forestales
Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille
Universidad de Magallanes
O.P. Jindal Global University
University of Helsinki
Cegep de Sherbrooke
Universidad Nacional de Caaguazú
Universidad San Jorge
Politecnico di Torino
Cardiff University
Karolinska Institutet
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Concordia University
Nelson & Colne College
South Lanarkshire College
University of Portsmouth
The University of Nottingham
Université de Sousse
Mahidol University
Almo Collegio Borromeo
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
University of the Basque Country
State University of Campinas - Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Unicamp Brazil
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Selkirk College
Edinburgh Napier University
Aalto University
University of Kabul
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE)
Universidad Biblica de las Americas
University of Cambridge
UniLaSalle
Shetland UHI
Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Coimbra/IPC
New City College
CATIE
Universidad de Cádiz
University of Bath
Université de Sherbrooke
Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier
Higher Colleges of Technology
Universidad Veracruzana
University of Montreal
Royal Veterinary College
Bayero University Kano
Universidad de Córdoba
Universidad Austral
Università degli Studi di Padova
Grenoble INP
Universidad de Navarra
Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña
Universidad José Antonio Páez
University of Worcester
Universidad de La Laguna
Stockholm University
Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP)
University Jaume I of Castello
University of Guadalajara