Study: universities worldwide are still producing far more graduates for fossil fuels than for clean energy

(Energy Post, 8 Mar 2024) Universities worldwide still produce more workers for fossil fuels than for renewable energy industries. Roman Vakulchuk and Indra Overland at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs summarise their new study on the energy transition in global higher education, published by the Energy Research & Social Science journal.

The study is based on a review of 18,400 universities in 196 countries. 68% of the world’s energy educational degrees are focused on fossil fuels, and only 32% on renewable energy. That gap is closing, though not nearly fast enough given the rapidly growing need for skilled clean energy workers. Nations and institutions are already warning of a major skills gap, creating one more brake on the speed of the transition. The authors say it’s yet another example of carbon lock-in due to the fossil-fuel industry’s political and financial influence on higher education. And a successful transition will leave millions of workers stranded with the wrong skills. The authors want universities and policy makers to channel public and private funding – that now goes into supporting education in fossil fuels – towards renewable energy.

A new study on the energy transition in global higher education has been published by the Energy Research & Social Science journal. In the article, the authors – Roman Vakulchuk and Indra Overland from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs – assess how quickly global higher education is transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy in terms of educational content. The study is based on a review of 18,400 universities in 196 countries.

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Energy Post, 8 Mar 2024: Study: universities worldwide are still producing far more graduates for fossil fuels than for clean energy