On Climate Action, a View From Behind the Pack (opinion)

"The University of California system recently made waves by announcing a commitment " to fully decarbonize no later than 2045." Unlike many "carbon neutrality" or "net zero" plans that rely heavily on carbon offsets, the UC system plans to cut emissions from campus electricity and fossil fuel use by at least 90 percent from 2019 levels and to balance residual emissions by investing in projects to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

"This win for the climate did not come easy: As activists from UC San Diego relate, they spent years building a coalition across campuses. Such success marks the UC system as a leader in American higher education, well ahead of other prestigious research universities with offset-heavy carbon neutrality plans-and well ahead of Purdue University, where we teach, which has no declared plans for decarbonization."

"Here, we wish to discuss our experiences advocating for a climate action plan at Purdue, where among our peer institutions we are decidedly a laggard, not a leader, in the climate space. We hope that detailing our frustrating lack of success provides a sober counternarrative to the success story of the UC system. Furthermore, we hope that knowing about our efforts may help others who are similarly involved in advocating for climate action at campuses in red states."

University of California committed to fully decarbonize no later than 2045, aiming to cut emissions from campus electricity and fossil fuel use by at least 90 percent from 2019 levels and to balance residual emissions through investments in carbon dioxide removal projects. Activists at UC San Diego spent years building a coalition across campuses to achieve the commitment. The UC system is positioned as a leader in American higher education on deep decarbonization, surpassing many research universities that rely heavily on offsets. Purdue University has no declared decarbonization plans. Purdue is a large public, land-grant university whose campus emits about 439,000 metric tons of CO2e per year.

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