Ca’ Foscari, our research for the future of the planet

In the past few months, Fridays for Future, the global movement inspired by Greta Thunberg, has mobilized millions of people. On Friday March 15th, students and citizens in over 40 countries (including Italy) will take to the streets to ask for immediate action to combat climate change. 

Ca’ Foscari University supports the Fridays for Future initiative and continuously strives to find new solutions and contribute to the safeguard of our planet, through science and research. 

Conservation and study of Polar ice: Ice Memory is an international research project under the patronage of the Unesco national commissions of France and Italy, which involves glaciologists from various countries, with the aim of building the first ice “sanctuary” in Antarctica, collecting ice samples from glaciers that are currently endangered by global warming. By doing so, future generations of scientists will be able to carry out unprecedented analysis on climate change.
Starting from next year, Ca’ Foscari will also offer a PhD program in Polar Sciences, the first of its kind in Italy and among few in the world. The program will train skilled scientists with the ability of understanding how climate change can impact polar areas, and how the latter react to these climate transformations.

Climate research: CMCC@Ca’Foscari is the new research center for the study of climate change, the result of a strategic partnership between the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the CMCC Foundation (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change). An international research task force studies the effects of climate change with an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses many different areas, from environmental sciences to economics.  

Global Challenges: six research areas on broader topics called “Global Challenges”, strategic and pivotal themes for the well-being of our planet. Our interdisciplinary research teams employ an innovative approach to face and address present and future global challenges and make sustainable development a reality. 

Shaping the next generation of experts: Ca’ Foscari University currently offers numerous programs (Bachelors, Masters and PhDs) revolving entirely around topics connected to environmental sustainability. The rich educational offers has recently grown with the addition of the new Master of Research in Science and Management of Climate Change and the PhD program of the same name. Prospective students who want to find out more about these new academic paths can do so during the dedicated Open Day on April 8th, 2019.

Ca’ Foscari also engages in a series of sustainable actions and policies:

Carbon Management plan: this plan is aimed at intervening in certain areas like energy and water consumption, the purchasing of products and services with a lesser environmental impact and the improval of the measures for waste managemente and waste reduction.

LEED certification: Ca’ Foscari has also received the LEED green building certification for its headquarters, Foscari Palace, which was built in 1453, thus making it the oldest building in the world to ever receive this qualification. The certification promotes a sustainability centered approach, evaluating factors like water efficiency, energy saving, reduction of CO2 emissions and material or resources employed in the construction process.