The University of California’s Climate & Energy Policies
A brief overview of UC’s climate and energy policies.
Written by Tyler Valdes
Image source: UC Bending the Curve Report
As the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) contribute to accelerated changes in the climate system, communities are threatened by unprecedented environmental, economic, and social challenges. In 2007, the University of California (UC) joined many other higher education institutions in the pledge to decarbonize their campuses by 2050 when all ten chancellors signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). In response to the growing climate crisis, UC President Janet Napolitano announced the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) in 2013 which commits all ten UC campuses to emit net-zero GHG emissions from its operations including buildings, electricity purchases, and vehicle fleet by 2025. If successful, UC would be the first major university system to accomplish such a feat and establish itself as a tremendous leader in climate action. In order to meet its ambitious goals, it is essential that UC make bold efforts to change the fundamental profile of its energy sources. By studying and learning from UC’s energy and climate policies, strategies, progress, and challenges, any other major institution or university can join the global movement for cultivating and actualizing climate solutions.
In 2004, UC Regents adopted the Presidential Policy on Green Building Design and Clean Energy Standard which has since evolved into today’s UC Sustainable Practices Policy (SPP). Currently, SPP includes ten policy areas:
climate protection
clean energy
green building design
sustainable building operations
sustainable water systems
waste reduction and recycling
sustainable procurement
sustainable food service
transportation
standards for UC Health locations
Prior to CNI, SPP’s climate protection goal was to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 which aligns with California’s Assembly Bill 32. CNI amended the climate protection goal to include achievement of carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 sources by 2025 and Scope 3 sources by 2050. According to the ACUPCC Implementation Guide, Scope 1 sources refer to direct emissions that are “physically produced on campus,” Scope 2 sources refer to indirect emissions that are “mostly associated with purchased utilities”, and Scope 3 sources refer to other indirect emissions that occur from employee/student commutes and air travel funded by the campus.
The clean energy goals in SPP are explicitly stated to support climate neutrality goals outlined in the climate protection section by “reducing energy use and switching to clean energy supplies”. In summary, the clean energy policy goals highlight enhancing energy efficiency through a 2% annual reduction of energy use intensity, increasing on-site renewable electricity generation, obtaining 100% clean electricity by 2025, and substituting 40% of natural gas in campus combined heating and power plants with biogas by 2025.
For the full University of California Sustainable Practices Policy, visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/SustainablePractices