Ranked Sixth in India for Climate Action in THE Impact Rankings; Moves Up by Two Places
Ahmedabad University, centrally located in an urban environment, has created a micro-urban forest that is home to varieties of birds (64), butterflies (22), amphibians (five), reptiles (four), and two mammals, including the five-striped Palm Squirrel and Northern Plains Grey Langur. The University arboretum boasts of more than 1500 trees belonging to 100 species, with a special focus on native species.
Through this space, Ahmedabad University aims to create an interconnected ecosystem to protect and enhance biodiversity on campus. By ensuring strategic land use and constructing green spaces, the University aspires to strengthen campus ecology and attract birds and local flora back to the city. The University is also targeting to enhance resilience against extreme heat, reduce water runoff, and augment green spaces for the entire community.
This unique initiative emerging from the University’s robust sustainability strategy has now received international recognition, with Ahmedabad University being ranked sixth in India and 18th in South Asia for climate action in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024. The University has moved up two places from the previous edition of the rankings. THE Impact Rankings evaluated 2152 universities across 125 countries/regions on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Development Programme. Ahmedabad University has been ranked globally in the band of 301-400.
Following are some of the key initiatives that have contributed to this achievement:
Ahmedabad University actively advances social, economic, and ecological developments by educating and empowering its students to ensure all-round sustainability. The University offers several programmes across doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, each comprising a strong sustainability and climate action component, such as PhD in Management (Climate Change/Energy/Environment), BTech in Chemical and Environment Engineering, and unique courses imparting learning on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to name a few.
The undergraduate foundation programme incorporates climate change and ecology themes, ensuring that all students are educated about today's environmental challenges and solutions. The University has instituted a Global Centre for Environment and Energy, which conducts interdisciplinary research to advance the scientific understanding of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Darshini Mahadevia, Professor and an expert in Climate Studies at Ahmedabad University, said, "An education institute must adopt a three-pronged approach to climate change actions related to mitigation and adaptation. First, we need to teach and research climate change impacts and measures for adaptation and mitigation. Second, we must train our students to deal with the real situations arising from climate change and the interventions required. And third, we need to demonstrate through actions by embracing climate change-related actions. With its implementation of several strategies, Ahmedabad University has become a training ground where the students see through illustrations and contribute to mitigating climate change."