“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.” Darshini Mahadevia, Professor and an expert in Climate Studies at Ahmedabad University
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:
- The capacity of the installed Rooftop Solar Photovoltaics (RSP) doubled from 200 kW in 2020 to 416 kW in 2023. The University aims to take this capacity to 500 kW by 2030.
- The University buildings have an installed solar power capacity of 638 kW, generating an average of 2MW of solar power per day. This has led to huge annual cost savings.
- The total energy generated from low-carbon energy sources in 2022 was about 8 per cent of the University’s electricity needs, thereby reducing our reliance on fossil[1]based energy sources.
- The new campus buildings have an efficient rainwater harvesting system, wherein the University has developed and connected 21 recharge wells out of the 45 recharge wells located on the campus.
- During the monsoons, the University’s stepwell (Amphitheatre) doubles up as a holding tank of rainwater connected to several percolation wells. This enables penetration of rainwater penetrate into the ground, reducing reliance on municipal water supply and indirectly reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with water supply.
- Water flow aerators in the washrooms contribute towards 55 per cent of water saving. A sewage treatment plant with a capacity of treating 200,000 litres of water per day is operational. Furthermore, Phase 1 of the Drip Irrigation Project for the University landscape has been initiated, which can help save approximately 1400 litres of water per day during the summer months.
- The University has allocated two acres for organic farming, where soil testing is in progress. It is planned to use organic manure to fertilise this land. The University produces 100 kg of manure daily, which is used on campus to create a circular approach. An automatic organic waste converter with a capacity of 250-300 kg per day has also been installed.
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[1]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.”
