University of Toronto was just ranked the best in the world in one category

For the second year in a row, the University of Toronto has been ranked the most sustainable university in the world. 

Beating out other notable universities like ETH Zurich, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University and Harvard University, U of T secured the top spot on the list of the world’s most sustainable universities by global analysts Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

The ranking aims to highlight which institutions are demonstrating a “commitment to a more sustainable existence, and encompass a variety of factors across environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures.” 

More than just the commitment, the ranking looks at the impact that alumni are making in science and technology to solve climate issues and the impact of research being done across the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Out of more than 1,700 institutions across 107 countries, U of T came out on top, with a score of 91/100 in environmental sustainability, 99.7/100 in environmental education, and 98.5/100 in environmental research. 

“I am incredibly proud of the U of T community and its global leadership in tackling this existential challenge of the 21st century,” said the university’s president, Professor Meric Gertler. 

“I hope our legacy in the next few decades will be to catalyze a powerful sense of hope that we really can rise to meet this challenge. We must not get discouraged, and we certainly should not give up.”

In general, Canadian universities were well represented on the list, with the University of British Columbia tying for fifth place globally, McGill University ranking 15th, and Western University placing 30th. 

The study found that the Global North’s universities lead the way in sustainability performance, with most of the top 200 placements across the ranking’s three categories being taken up by institutions in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Here are the top sustainable universities in the world, according to the list: 

• University of Toronto, Canada (#1)
• ETH Zurich, Switzerland (#2) 
• Lund University, Sweden, and University of California, Berkeley, U.S. (tied for #3)
• University College London, U.K., and University of British Columbia, Canada (tied for #5)
• Imperial College London, U.K., and The University of Edinburgh, U.K. (tied for #7)
• The University of Manchester, U.K., and The University of Melbourne, Australia (tied for #9)