Join the Race to Zero before 10th November 2025

Race to life logo

Universities & Colleges of the world:

sign up to the Race to Zero,

a global initiative for a 

Zero Carbon World

Read more

Home
Home EAUC Logo Second Nature Logo

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

Read more

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

1242

Cop 30

10.11.2025

Institutions committed

576

Students represented

4,306,775,570

Days until Cop 30

114

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

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