We’re making sure York’s environmental research and sustainability efforts are recognised as the world prepares for one of the most pivotal moments in the fight against climate change.
What is COP26 and why does it matter?
COP26 is the 26th UN Climate Change ‘Conference of the Parties’ (hence COP26). Between 1–12 November, countries who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will gather in Glasgow to discuss how to tackle the climate crisis.
The summit is considered significant as it’s the first COP to take place after the landmark Paris Agreement. It’s regarded as the summit to both address what has and hasn’t been achieved since 2015 and to set out plans to ‘build back better’ through a green recovery following the pandemic.
What are we doing to support it?
From delivering world-leading research and policy briefs to creating an ambitious sustainability strategy, our researchers, staff and students are making every effort to contribute to the climate effort. As a community we’re making great strides and it’s important to shout about it.
This is where the Communications team comes in. It’s our mission to deliver a strong message to highlight York’s commitment to environmental and sustainability issues.
After a lot of research and a bit of creative thinking we’ve produced a COP26 communications plan to guide our efforts. So far we’ve made great progress. We’ve:
- Set up a COP26 steering group to share thoughts, ideas and updates
- Developed COP26 web pages to showcase COP-related events, research and institutional efforts
- Created a COP26 toolkit to support colleagues with their COP26 comms
- Developed graphics to create a consistent look and feel to our communication campaign
As the big event approaches we will continue to shine a spotlight on our research and activities at the University.
What we hope to achieve
We hope our communications efforts will raise awareness and generate interest in York’s COP26 related research and commitment to sustainability – and encourage stakeholders to engage with York’s COP26 events and activities. Our messaging will also help demonstrate the University’s commitment to ‘research with relevance and reach’ and to being a University for public good.
If you have any questions about our COP26 communications plan or would like access to the toolkit and graphics please contact alice.seaton@york.ac.uk.