Climate solutions

The Executive Vice President for Business Operations has appointed a Climate Solutions Steering Group to advise strategies for moving the university’s carbon commitments from concept to implementation. The University of California adopted policies to aggressively reduce greenhouse gases and has committed to the following climate goals: 

1. By 2014: Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to year 2000 levels, per UC Presidential Policy.
2. By 2020: Reduce emissions to 1990 levels, per UC Presidential Policy and in compliance with California AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act.
3. As soon as feasible: Achieve climate neutrality, per the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), of which UC is a charter signatory.

While the university has made remarkable progress in reversing the growth of GHG emissions, several campuses will need off-site renewable energy in order to attain the 2014 goal, and essentially all campuses will need large-scale, off-site solutions to achieve the 2020 goal.  The Prospectus for a Sustainable Future, published in November 2011, outlines the steps necessary to achieve the University’s climate goals.

For more information, visit the Working Smarter Climate Solutions Initiative.