McGill’s commitment to sustainability reaches back several decades and spans scales from local to global.
The sustainability declarations that the University has signed affirm its role in helping to shape a future where people and the planet can flourish.
U7+ Presidential Declaration (2019)
The U7+ brings together universities from G7 countries and beyond, who are committed to academic freedom and scholarly values. The U7+ Presidential Declaration consists of six Principles which establish a framework for universities’ action in today’s global landscape, one of which specifically addresses the role universities play "in addressing the environmental issues and challenges to sustainability such as climate change, biodiversity and energy transition," emphasizing the need to "[lead] by example on our own campuses."
Halifax Declaration (1991)
The presidents and senior representatives of 33 universities from 10 countries on five continents met in Halifax, Canada at meetings sponsored by the International Association of Universities and the United Nations University to take stock of the role of universities regarding the environment and development. It declares that “universities are entrusted with a major responsibility to help societies shape their present and future development policies and actions into the sustainable and equitable forms necessary for an environmentally secure and civilized world.”
Talloires Declaration (1990)
Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, this is the first official statement made by university presidents, chancellors, and rectors of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. The Talloires Declaration (TD) is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It has been signed by over 500 university presidents and chancellors in over 50 countries.
Nature Positive Pledge
Launched by the UN Environment Programme and the University of Oxford, the Nature Positive Pledge encourages higher education institutions to address their impacts on biodiversity. McGill is among more than 100 universities, including 10 others in Quebec, who joined the initiative as a founding member ahead of the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15). By taking the pledge, McGill commits to assessing its biodiversity baseline, adopting targets for biodiversity, setting actions to achieve those targets, and reporting annually on progress.
Investing to Address Climate Change: A Charter for Canadian Universities (2020)
A group of 15 leading universities across Canada, led by McGill University and the University of Toronto, are uniting to tackle the global challenge of climate change by pledging to follow responsible investment practices.
