Schools will reduce the environmental impact of field courses

Cardiff University agrees to new principles outlined by the UK's professional body for geography, to reduce the carbon footprint of all undergraduate fieldwork programmes.

In the wake of COP26, the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the School of Geography and Planning have agreed to the Principles for Undergraduate Field Courses, demonstrating a commitment to the delivery of high-quality, sustainable fieldwork for future generations of undergraduate students at Cardiff University.

The new principles, developed by the Royal Geographical Society in collaboration with the Council of Heads of Geography in UK Higher Education Institutions, consider a range of intersecting issues relating to taught undergraduate field courses. These include sustainability and the carbon footprint of travel, accessibility, inclusivity and equality of opportunity, and issues of fieldwork and mental health.

As part of the agreement, the Schools will work together to perform annual monitoring and carbon accounting exercises to consider how to positively improve the fieldwork offering across all geography and geoscience programmes. Both Schools will continue to employ a transparent approach to decision-making with a commitment to demonstrable improvement over time.

Cardiff University is part of a growing community of universities, special interest groups, businesses, and others working together to tackle the climate change crisis. Find out how we are tackling our carbon footprint as an institution.