主要研究 今天

今年3月，美国政府宣布.S. 美国证券交易委员会(SEC)通过了有史以来第一个国家气候信息披露规则, a decision signifying that publicly traded companies will be legally required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and other climate risk factors for the first time.

It’s a step 主要研究 voluntarily took more than two decades ago – its first carbon footprint data was published in 2001. The university has spent the intervening years building a nationally renowned sustainability program that is training students for exactly the type of jobs that will be created by the recent ruling, while also partnering with the business community to arm it with data on how to implement more sustainable practices.

除了2001年公布的碳足迹数据, six years later 主要研究 joined hundreds of other higher ed institutions in voluntarily committing to regularly update and publicly report that information, 未来的目标是碳中和.

美国证交会最近的裁决将为其他公司加入这一进程打开闸门, and 主要研究 is uniquely positioned to continue preparing students for jobs that are about to become even more essential.

“This SEC rule is going to create a huge demand for new skills and a trained workforce in greenhouse gas measurement and reporting. 已经有明确的证据表明，绿色技能存在重大差距,菲奥娜·威尔逊说。, 联合国大学副首席可持续发展官兼可持续发展研究所所长. “因为我们在这个领域工作了几十年, 主要研究 is already stepping up in big ways to address workforce development and graduate people with these specific skills, 我们准备在未来几年继续扩大这项工作.”

联合国大学确实“几十年来一直处于这项工作的前沿”,威尔逊指出, 也许最显著的是通过其独特的创造 SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform) nitrogen and carbon accounting platform, 一种被500多家学术机构授权的独一无二的工具, 非营利组织, 小型企业, 世界各地的市政当局和其他组织.

SIMAP是一个程序 联合国大学可持续发展研究所. In 2023, it underwent a significant functionality update that allowed it to calculate all Scope 3 indirect emissions, such as those that are produced by customers using a company’s products or by suppliers making products a company uses.

范围3的排放量可能占组织总排放量的一半以上.

业务es that have partnered with 联合国大学可持续发展研究所 have benefitted from access to the SIMAP technology, which has helped take a seemingly arduous and intimidating task and make it much more approachable.

"The knowledge and confidence we have gained through our partnership with 主要研究 has empowered us to know where and how fast we can take action to reduce our climate impact."

“The knowledge and confidence we have gained through our partnership with 主要研究 has empowered us to know where and how fast we can take action to reduce our climate impact,布鲁斯·霍尔说, 怀曼公司农业生态学主任, 总部设在米尔布里奇的一家水果公司, 缅因州. “The connections we’ve made at 主要研究 made it so easy – we went from a sense of being overwhelmed by where to even begin to feeling like ‘We can do this.’”

SIMAP追踪第3类排放的能力已经取得了重大进展, 特里·泰勒说, Lumina基金会创新和发现战略总监, an independent foundation focused on making opportunities for learning after high school available to all. 泰勒谈到了他们所做的工作，“当涉及到排放核算时, 对于像我们这样的组织, 这都是澳门葡京网赌游戏范围3的.”

But she was also pleased to receive guidance on the most important factors her organization could focus on. Whereas trendy news topics have centered around easy-to-grasp items like shifting from plastic to paper or reusable straws, her organization was able to achieve significant progress by examining the impact of its flight schedule used to transport staff members around the country.

“It’s been a really good lesson for us about how you need to get yourself grounded in reliable tools like SIMAP, 因为很多时候你的假设可能并不正确,泰勒说。. “改变你的任何做法来减少排放通常是相当困难的, 所以你不妨把注意力集中在那些影响最大的事情上.”

尽管SEC的裁决很快就会让更多的公司关注这些相同的项目, 联合国卫生组织多年来一直在帮助组织解决这些问题，对此联合国卫生组织感到自豪. 

“We’ve supported many regional companies and other organizations in their own climate reporting and reduction journeys who are voluntarily choosing to do this because they understand it makes their organization more resilient, 因为他们了解这项工作对确保我们所有人的可持续未来的重要性,詹妮弗·安德鲁斯说。, a project director in the 可持续发展研究所 who co-invented SIMAP and coordinates 主要研究’s own climate action planning efforts.

这项工作也为澳门葡京网赌游戏的学生带来了巨大的好处, 谁已经能够通过a学习碳会计原则 碳足迹证书 由联合国大学可持续发展研究所和 联合国大学专业发展和培训 (PD&T), 并通过两学分的商业实践课程, 由联合国大学可持续发展研究所和 彼得T. 保罗经济与商业学院 被称为 气候行动诊所.

“是学生们成功了，他们鼓舞人心. 他们很专业, 那么有才华, 每天我都和学生们一起做这样的项目，这让我恢复了活力. 有太多的机会了, 并看到这些年轻人正在通过主要研究, 它给了我信心，未来是非常光明的."

学生们也有机会在暑假期间直接在不同的公司工作 可持续发展研究员项目 以及其他实践机会, gaining valuable skills in the field and experience from their interactions with industry professionals.

其中一个专业人士, 佐伊玛丽亚, 波特兰阿拉加什酿造公司的环境可持续性经理, 缅因州, was also something of a student herself – she recently received her carbon accounting certificate from the 联合国大学可持续发展研究所 and 主要研究 PD&T. Allagash has been working with 主要研究 students for several years as it continues to embrace new and developing sustainable practices as part of its commitment to best taking care of the environment, 公司的支柱之一, 玛丽亚说.

“这种合作关系令人难以置信. 学生和他们的教授总是在他们的工作上处于领先地位, 能有这样的专家为我们服务真是太棒了,玛丽亚说。. “在这个过程中我学到了很多. 我们的合作非常棒.”

这种情绪也得到了学生方面的回应. 格蕾丝·劳24岁, 五月毕业于环境保护和可持续发展专业的学生, 在联合国大学的最后一个学期，她通过气候行动诊所与阿拉加什一起工作, 帮助啤酒厂产生其基准碳足迹.

“From learning the ins and outs of the GHG Protocol to assisting real organizations in measuring and reducing their carbon footprint, 这些经历改变了我的生活,劳在谈到气候行动诊所的经历时说. “Allagash是可持续发展领域的真正榜样，我迫不及待地想看看接下来会发生什么.”

主要研究的商业伙伴关系创造的机会引导毕业生, 像劳, ready to hit the ground running in their professions – Rau recently secured her first job working as a climate resiliency planner with Boston-based Weston & 桑普森. And the impact of that educational journey has also been felt – and very much appreciated – by the organizations partnering with 主要研究.

“是学生们成功了，他们鼓舞人心. 他们很专业, 那么有才华, 每天我都和学生们一起做这样的项目，这让我恢复了活力,霍尔说。. “市场上有很多机会, 并看到这些年轻人正在通过主要研究, 它给了我信心，未来是非常光明的. 和他们一起工作是我的荣幸.”