Universities have the breadth of expertise to tackle the climate crisis, but they need to be explicit with funders about the support they require to do so, according to the University of Oxford’s vice-chancellor.
Reflecting on Oxford’s partnership with AstraZeneca to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, credited with saving countless lives during the pandemic, Irene Tracey said universities had to be clearer about what they needed from philanthropists and funding agencies.
“The expertise is living in our institutions. We just need be bold and say that we’re going to take that on, and be more directive, rather than responsive,” she said, speaking at the Times Higher Education Europe Universities Summit, hosted by the University of Warsaw.
While Professor Tracey did not give a template for how universities could recreate pandemic successes to combat climate change, she said it was vital that they found a way to drive climate research while still accommodating investigators’ curiosity.
