Energy and Climate
Chancellor's Council on Climate Change
The Chancellor's Council on Climate Change has released it's draft of the Climate Action Plan for the campus, setting a target date for climate neutrality by quantifying emission sources, identifying projects to reduce those emissions, and implementing the projects. Currently UC carbon reduction goals are
- 2000 levels by the year 2014
- 1990 levels by 2020
- 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
Click to view the:
The Council is Chaired by Chair of Environmental Studies, Daniel Press.
UCSC's Climate Commitments
In March 2007, The president of the University of California system signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Signing this document reaffirmed the commitment to developing carbon neutrality plans for each campus by December 2008 as stated in the UC Policy for Sustainable Practices. The ACUPCC has set a November 15, 2007 deadline for campuses to create an institutional structure to guide the development and implementation of a climate action plan. A UC system-wide Climate Action Working Group has also been created to monitor the progress of each campus. Additionally, UC Santa Cruz has committed itself by joining the California Climate Action Registry and working with the city and county of Santa Cruz on a Climate Action Compact signed by the Chancellor on September 26th, 2007. These three documents hold UCSC accountable for creating a long-term plan for reducing emissions.
For a summary of the policy commitments, please download and view the matrix.
Energy and Climate
Download the Energy and Climate section of the 2007 UCSC Campus Sustainability Assessment here.
Our society’s patterns of energy use may represent our single greatest environmental impact, with central importance for our economy and consequences for human health. There is a link to energy security nationally and regionally, as we attempt to move toward an economy that is more resilient to global energy supply, demand shocks, and geopolitical forces.
Inevitably, energy issues are woven into many aspects of campus operations and activities. This is most obvious with green building and transportation, but it is subtly present in areas such as purchasing and food systems (the embodied energy in the production and delivery of goods), water consumption (the energy used to transport and treat potable water and waste water), and governance (challenges that cross traditional decision-making boundaries).
For more information on Energy and Climate at UCSC: