For the fifth year running, the University of Tasmania has been rated No. 1 in the world for Climate Action in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ratings.
The THE ratings assess universities for their impact on society and the environment against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The assessment covers teaching, research, stewardship and outreach.
The University’s local education programs and events on climate-related issues contribute significantly to its No 1 ranking in Climate Action. One example is the Curious Climate Schools program, which provides climate education resources to schools and connects school students with trusted climate experts.
University of Tasmania research cited for the ratings included work to significantly strengthen community planning and response to climate-related natural disasters. This research aims to help the community to co-exist with the threat of bushfires, floods and drought and prepare for future extreme events.
The University’s climate resilience research is strengthened by its connection into communities. Bushfire resilience projects have involved Aboriginal communities contributing traditional knowledge. In one project researchers worked firsthand with people who were impacted by the 2022 floods in northern Tasmania so these lessons could be applied to future flood preparedness.
Data gaps are being filled by projects such as the Climate Future Group’s Natural Hazards Atlas for Tasmania, while the Tasmanian Giant Kelp Restoration project is helping ecosystems and societies adapt to future conditions by providing habitat for lobsters, scalefish and abalone, while improving local water quality and buffering coastlines from erosion.
Collaboration with industry and all levels of government is integral to the success of the research. Major collaborative programs of research are improving the understanding of the role Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play in the global climate, and how climate change could affect this. Many of our studies contribute to the latest climate change assessments used in the reports of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the result reflects the University’s deep and sustained commitment to embedding sustainability across everything it does.
“We have an unwavering commitment to action on climate across the whole of University. In a world where action on climate is slowing down in too many places, the science is telling us that we need to redouble our efforts,” Professor Black said.
“The sustained recognition we have achieved for climate action speaks to the consistency of our ambition and the collective effort of staff, students and partners.”
Chief Sustainability Officer Corey Peterson said the fifth consecutive top ranking affirms that the University’s long-term commitment is delivering impact, “while motivating us to keep pushing further”.
The University’s strong track record in sustainability includes its carbon neutrality, commitment to emissions reduction across a wide range of sources and continued investment in sustainable infrastructure.
The University is celebrating 10 years of being certified carbon neutral under the Australian Government’s Climate Active program, one of only three universities in Australia to have this certification. At the end of 2025, the University was nearly half way to its minimum 50% reduction in gross emissions by 2030 target on a 2015 baseline.
