1 in 10 people live in extreme poverty around the world. Basic human rights such as clean water, health and education are not met. Climate change affects vulnerable communities the most and requires urgent action in relation to energy use while at the same time an estimated 1.2 billion people are still without access to electricity. Universities play a crucial role in achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. Research, learning and teaching, and the way in which an organisation operates can all have a positive impact in the communities in which we live. However, addressing our global and shared challenges will require transformative solutions beyond incremental change. This will require research, innovation, collaboration and partnership which Universities can deliver. The University’s Climate Strategy with the vision of net zero carbon by 2040 is an example of a whole institution approach. As part of a global community working to address climate challenges, we seek to demonstrate our commitment through our research, our teaching, and through our own operations and investments. Achieving global goals in sustainable development and local sustainability strategies will require us to cross boundaries – organisational, professional and others. This Our Changing World lecture will explore organisational perspectives on sustainability and the impact of strategies and programmes with a practitioners focus on the University of Edinburgh as a case study.