Environment and Sustainability

Lund University has long had the ambition to be a driving force for sustainable development. Lund University not only carries out extensive and diversified research and education connected to sustainability issues, we are also actively involved in promoting sustainable development in collaboration with local, national and international networks and organisations.

A great number of educational programmes at various levels relate directly to central sustainability challenges and the programmes we offer are all characterised by both a global focus and world-wide recruitment of students.

In many other programmes in fields such as engineering, law, economics and social sciences, it is also possible to specialise in issues connected to sustainable development.

Sustainability research at Lund University is characterised by great diversity and involves numerous disciplines across all faculties. Research stretches from ecosystems, health and management of natural resources to sustainable design and business, as well as issues of social sustainability and governance challenges in different parts of the world. Many departments are active in this research, along with several interdisciplinary departments or centres such as Environmental and Energy Systems Studies at the Faculty of Engineering, the Centre for Climate and Environment at the Faculty of Science or the faculty-independent IIIEE (International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics) and LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies).

Many recent major research initiatives in Lund take an interdisciplinary approach involving researchers from different parts of the university. Among these are long-term programmes on sustainability-related issues such as climate modelling, transitions to low-carbon energy and transport systems, land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services and sustainability science.

Sustainability research is often connected to international programmes, increasingly funded by the EU and other international organisations, and education is characterised by international involvement via well-developed academic networks. Transdisciplinary collaboration with society outside academia is also important. Stakeholders such as planners, farmers, NGOs or business representatives are often involved in both research projects and teaching. Lund University collaborates closely with the cities of Lund and Malmö on sustainable urban development, and is a partner of the RCE Skåne, the Regional Centre of Expertise for Education for Sustainable Development.