Global ranking puts Tec at #1 for climate action in LA and Mexico

Tec de Monterrey is the number one university in Latin America and in Mexico for the third year running for climate action under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 of the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

This was announced in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking which measures 4 areas of the 17 different Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, which include research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.

“It’s a huge achievement to come first place in the rankings, but it’s also a responsibility we’re taking on,” said Cynthia Villarreal, Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach at Tec de Monterrey, in an interview with CONECTA.

In the specific case of SDG 13: Climate Action, the Tec went from fifth to first place in Latin America compared to the previous year and maintained its leadership in Mexico by going up 10.7 percentage points.

What’s more, the institution was ranked as the 51st university out of 674 worldwide.

“This position is a reflection of the commitment we’ve made at the Tec for decades, but we’ve stepped up since last year with the publication of Ruta Azul (Blue Route),” said Villarreal.

Tec de Monterrey also stands out in another 5 SDGs

In the THE Impact Rankings 2022, the Tec stands out for its contribution to SDG 13: Climate Action, which deals with climate issues.

Within that SDG, it stood out in areas such as research on climate action, low-carbon energy use, environmental education measures, and commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral university.

But it also stands out in another 5 of the UN SDGs assessed by the THE Impact Rankings, in which it occupies one of the top 3 positions in both Mexico and Latin America.

In SDG 17, which is about Partnerships for the Goals, it ranks 1st place in both the country and Latin America. In SDG 12, which concerns Responsible Consumption and Production, it was ranked first and second place, respectively.

“We’ve also reduced our use of non-renewable energy. That’s what we’re working towards, reaching carbon neutrality.”

In SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, it ranks second and in SDG 1: No Poverty, second and third respectively. In SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, it ranks second and third place and in SDG 13, as mentioned, it ranks first place.

Cynthia Villarreal explained that a university’s overall score in the ranking is calculated by combining its SDG 17 score with its best three scores from the remaining 16 SDGs.

Sustainable Development Goal 17 makes up 22% of the overall score, while every other SDG is weighted at 26%. This means that different universities are scored against a different set of SDGs, depending on their area of focus.

Times Higher Education (THE) is a world university ranking that has been published since 2001 by the magazine of the same name.

It’s an annual publication that publishes several rankings, including THE World University Rankings, THE World Reputation Rankings, and THE Impact Rankings, a performance table that assesses universities against the SDGs.

Sustainability plan to tackle climate change

According to Cynthia Villarreal, the results obtained in the rankings form part of the commitment made by the Tec in its 2025 Sustainability and Climate Change Plan, known as Ruta Azul, which presented its first annual progress report in April 2022.

This road map consists of six actions that include mitigation, adaptation, research, outreach, education, and culture, which has to do with changing the mindset on the environmental crisis.

“This year, we had high participation in a number of investigations, and we were above world average for the publication of scientific articles on the environment,” said the Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach.

“We’ve also reduced our use of non-renewable energy. That’s what we’re working towards, reaching carbon neutrality,” she stressed.

In Villarreal’s opinion, their collaboration with various institutions is something else that had an impact on this ranking published by THE Impact Rankings.

“This position is a reflection of the commitment we’ve made at the Tec for decades.”

She said that one of the most important of these has been the global Race To Zero (RTZ) campaign, during which the Tec managed to get 14 municipalities in the metropolitan area of Nuevo León to commit to taking actions to achieve carbon neutrality before 2040, and is considered a milestone by the institution.

“We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for climate action and that’s why we’re collaborating with different organizations and institutions, universities, and the government so that together we might have a real impact on climate change,” said Villarreal.

In recent months, knowledge has also been transferred to civil society organizations for them to adopt a proactive culture for tackling the climate emergency.

“As well as showing what’s been achieved, this report also reaffirms the commitment to climate change through each of the Tec’s six actions,” emphasized Cynthia Villarreal.

2025, the deadline to prevent climate catastrophe

The latest report by scientists from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gives the year 2025 as the deadline to avoid climate catastrophe.

The Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach at Tec de Monterrey said that due to this scenario, the institution is assuming a role of leadership, commitment, and collaboration with actions in different areas.

She said that in order to achieve this, they’ve implemented environmental education measures that include disseminating Ruta Azul throughout the Tec community.

“They include changing our culture, mitigating our carbon footprint, adapting to impacts and building climate resilience, and educating students and including the issue in educational programs.”

“This first place motivates us to continue working to be better, with the main goal of having a sustainable planet.”

In the area of culture, Villarreal said that they’re looking for metrics that allow them to measure the change in mindset that translates into decision-making and sustainable actions.

Plans to help Mexico achieve the goals established in the Paris Agreements include creating a fund to continue promoting interdisciplinary research and climate action as a result. 

She reiterated that the Tec is committed to sustainability and climate action and the ranking results motivate them.

“First place in the THE rankings on this SDG motivates us to continue working and to continue getting better and better with the main goal of having a sustainable planet where future generations can live,” concluded the Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach at the Tec.

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