Simon Fraser University is number one for its global impact on sustainable cities and communities—and fifth in the world for its response on climate action—according to the Times Higher Education (THE) 2023 Impact Rankings.
The annual rankings measure universities’ strengths in advancing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), which call on developed and developing countries to partner on critical global issues.
SFU also topped the rankings for sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) in 2020 and has consistently been among the top 10 universities worldwide in that category since then. Nationally, SFU also ranks third for climate action (SDG 13).
“Over the past year, I have seen students, faculty and staff at SFU come together like never before to support research, teaching and community engagement in the areas of climate action and sustainability,” said SFU President Joy Johnson. “I am so proud of our community for their passion and hard work as we advance our vision of building a more inclusive and sustainable future for everyone.”
SFU also ranks high for its impact on peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16), tied for 15th in the world and 4th nationally, and for its partnerships for the goals (SDG 17), 51st globally and 7th in Canada. In terms of its overall impact, SFU ranks 14th in Canada and 86th globally among nearly 1,600 universities.
Through its renewed 2022-2025 Strategic Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, SFU is well-positioned to address and achieve its sustainability and climate action goals and priorities. The university also recently launched What’s Next: The SFU Strategy with ‘resilience and sustainability’ as one of its core values.
In addition to building on its values through research and community engagement, SFU students continue to benefit and thrive from related programs in faculties such as Arts and Social Sciences and Environment, with programs in urban studies, sustainable business and development, and environmental science.
SFU is among universities committed to the UN-backed Race To Zero campaign, dedicated to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and its Board of Governors has formally declared a global climate emergency.
The university further demonstrates sustainable practice in surpassing its own greenhouse gas emission goals and through its commitment to fully divesting from fossil fuels by 2025.
In 2022 SFU hosted the Times Higher Education University Impact Forum on Sustainable Cities, an event that brought together an interdisciplinary delegation of sustainability practitioners, researchers and government to explore opportunities to advance SDG 11.
“SFU has redesigned its sustainability initiatives, strategies and resources to build on and scale up efforts to maximize our sustainability impact over the last two decades,” said SFU’s Vice-President, Research and International, Dugan O’Neil.
“Part of the redesign is grounding this work in a wider framework of the SDGs. We are collaborating to leverage and enhance sustainability research, partnerships, projects and initiatives that are happening across the university.”
SFU’s results in the latest THE impact rankings follow top placements in the recent World University Rankings for Innovation, which for the third year ranked SFU as number one in Canada for overall innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and industrial application.