Climate Action
SDG 13

We’re ranked the number one university in the world for climate action, for four years in a row – and that’s just the beginning.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all.13 Climate Change

At the University of Tasmania, we are committed to making a transition to a climate safe world and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 Climate Action. We’re doing this by equipping students, partners, and communities with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful change.

We are consistently ranked #1 in the world for Climate Action.*

Join a passionate community that is fostering innovation, sustainable practices and empowering change to ensure a thriving planet for future generations.

* Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025

Learning and teaching

Explore our courses and programs that will equip you with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful climate action.

Turn your passion for climate action into real-world impact. Experience Tasmania as your living laboratory, where hands-on learning and fieldwork bring your studies to life. You'll be part of a community of dedicated individuals who share your commitment to addressing climate change. Together, we can take meaningful steps to protect Tasmania’s unique environment and inspire action worldwide.

Climate action courses

Turn your passion for climate action into real-world impact. Study in Tasmania, where learning meets action, and be part of a community shaping a sustainable future.

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The Climate Shift: Exploring Science, Empowering Action short course

Gain a deeper understanding of climate change and inspire community actions grounded in sustainability with our FREE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

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Where study meets sustainability

We see sustainability as an opportunity in everything we do at our university. As a student, you can explore your passion for sustainability in many ways.

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Curious Climate Schools

Curious Climate Schools is a University of Tasmania program that connects school students aged 10-18 with trusted climate experts, and provides climate education resources to schools in Tasmania.

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Our research

At the University of Tasmania, we’re passionate about understanding our changing climate, its impacts, and how we can make a difference.

Climate science​

Understanding our changing climate globally, nationally and locally.

Climate change impacts

Understanding the impacts of climate change on people, communities, industries, and the environment.

Adaptation

Adaptation planning and measures to manage risk and build resilience​.

Mitigation

Working with partners to reduce emissions and/or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases​.

Explore our programs

We’re undertaking world-leading research to better understand our changing climate.

Located in the Antarctic Gateway City of Hobart, we are home to major programs including Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the Australian Centre for Antarctic Science (ACEAS) and more. Our research is improving understanding of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean’s role in the global climate system.

Researchers at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) use ships, satellites and ocean robots to observe the ocean and run sophisticated ocean and climate models to understand how and why the ocean is changing; now, in the past and into the future. Many of our studies contribute to the latest climate change assessments used in the reports of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change.

World-leading oceanographer, Professor Nathan Bindoff, was awarded an Australian Research Council Australian Laureate Fellowship to develop precision tracking of changes in the Earth’s climate system as it responds to emission reductions.

We are a major contributor to measuring climate change through dedicated observing campaigns and bespoke infrastructure as part of the Global Geodesy Supply Chain, recognised with a formal partnership in the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence.

The University’s Climate Futures program delivers climate science expertise for local planning and adaptation, working closely with partners to develop climate projections at a useful scale for communities, governments and industry.

Governance and operations

As a leader in climate action, the University is committed to minimising greenhouse gas emissions from its operations.

This commitment is embedded in our policies, strategies and procedures, and translated into action through initiatives with clear targets and KPIs.

Explore our Climate Action initiatives

We've joined the Race to Zero

The University of Tasmania joined the global campaign Race to Zero in April 2021. In meeting all the criteria, we are part of the largest ever alliance committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.

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Certified carbon neutral since 2016

The University of Tasmania has been a certified carbon neutral organisation since 2016. We are currently one of only two universities in Australia that are Certified Carbon Neutral by Climate Active.

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Fossil fuel divestment

The University of Tasmania divested from all fossil fuel-exposed investment funds by the end of 2021 in support of a zero-carbon economy.

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Join us

Get involved with sustainability
Subscribe to the Sustainability Bulletin
Our commitment to sustainability
Working at the University
Climate Change PhD projects
Research partnerships & innovation

How we measure our impact for this SDG

We use the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and other frameworks, such as the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), to measure our progress towards sustainability. THE Impact Rankings evaluate university performance in relation to the SDGs.

Our initiatives for THE Impact Rankings metrics for SDG 13 are:

Does your university as a body measure the amount of low carbon energy used across the university?

  1. The University of Tasmania monitors and controls its energy use by source through an online register, which links the information to buildings and locations. The University also conducts regular energy audits of buildings across all our campuses. A summary of energy use is publicly available at: Energy Management infographic (PDF 293.7 KB)
  2. Energy data is also reported publicly at: University of Tasmania's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report
  1. Climate change and education researchers at the University of Tasmania ran the Curious Climate Schools programme in 2024, which collected and answered climate questions from school students locally and around Tasmania.
  2. During the Global Climate Change Week the University organised events to address issues on climate change. Some examples include 'PLAN E - how to enact a climate and ecological emergency response', 'Climate Change, Migration and Displacement: Finding New Solutions in Old Places', 'Climate change and health: challenges and opportunities for Tasmania'.xx
  1. The University has an Emissions Reduction Strategic Plan 2022-2030 (PDF 2.0 MB) with a target of a minimum 50% reduction in gross emissions by 2030 (from a 2015 baseline) and to achieve net (and below) zero emissions by 2025 (p. 20). The Strategic Plan is publicly available and actively shared with other higher education institutions, government, and community groups.

The University has partnered with state and local governments to plan for climate change disasters in various ways. In 2023, relevant examples include:

  • The Practical and Sustainable Pathways to Community Coexistence with Bushfires Project (2023-2028) aims to develop adaptation pathways so Australian communities can co-exist safely and sustainably with intrinsically flammable landscapes. In collaboration with local government, fire-management agencies, Aboriginal communities, and world-leading fire scientists.
  • The Tasmanian Bushfire Preparedness Survey Project (2023-2024) is designed to give an up-to-date and representative snapshot of the bushfire planning and preparedness of residents of bushfire-prone suburbs in every Tasmanian local government area.
  1. The University has partnered with Tasmanian and local governments to develop a Tasmanian Disaster Risk Assessment (PDF 3.0MB) (see Appendix 3 in p. 104-105 for a list of partner organisations). This document focuses on climate change disasters (p. 13) and includes a section on iterative and adaptive risk management, including detection and warnings (p. 7-8). Monitoring is covered throughout the document in relation to earth, biological and socio-technical systems (sections 2, 3 and 4).
  2. The University and the University Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) supported the Hobart City's effort of mitigation and adaptation of climate change with research and climate models (Sustainable Hobart Action Plan 2020-2025 (PDF 4.5MB), Governance, GOV-01 Climate Partnerships, p. 44).

The University partnered with scientific (non-governmental) societies/associations to deliver in 2022 an expert presentation to the community on 'Climate Change Adaptation: What it means for Tasmania'. Expert presenters explored climate change adaptation from the cutting-edge science to on-the-ground action.

The University has partnered with various research institutes, including the non-governmental Australian Wine Research Institute, on a project addressing "climate adaptability" and aiming to provide an "understanding of short-term climate variability, as well as trends in climate indices for the near and mid-term time scales (...) in an accessible, usable form to grape growers and wine makers across Australia" (see 'Overview' section).

Does your university as a body have a target date by which it will become carbon neutral according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocols?

  1. The University has been carbon neutral certified since 2016 by the Australian Government Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard (p. 4). The Standard is based on international standards (e.g., ISO standards, Greenhouse Gas Protocol) and tailored to the Australian context. The Standard requires that all relevant emissions sources (direct and indirect) are included (see p. 11 for a detailed inventory by emission source including all scopes 1, 2, 3). All emissions identified as occurring as a consequence of an organisation's business activities must be considered for relevance using the relevance test (p. 24). The criteria for relevance are adapted from the GFG Protocol - Corporate Standard (WBCSD and WRI, 2004) and ensure the carbon account appropriately reflects the emissions of the organisation and meets the expectations of consumers and internal and external stakeholders. Find out more at Climate Active Public Disclosure Statement - University of Tasmania (PDF 767KB).
  2. Current and previous University's greenhouse gas inventories.