In 2021, a team of more than 20 faculty members, staff members, and students began to formulate a plan to address climate change, one of the most complex and urgent issues of our time, by significantly lowering the University’s greenhouse gas emissions on all its campuses.
In 2022, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force unveiled its recommendations for the University to achieve 100% emissions reduction by 2035.
Panel: Penn State Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force
Penn State is currently ahead of its long-term aspirational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goal, but scientific consensus suggests that we need to do more and act faster. To that end, in spring 2021, former Penn State President Barron charged a team of faculty, staff, and students to formulate a plan to lower the University's GHG emissions at all campuses. In spring 2022, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force (CERTF) issued a report that presented recommendations for the University to achieve 100% emissions reduction by 2035. This year, President Bendapudi committed to implementing some of the recommendations.
An immense amount of effort and investment will be required to implement the full set of CERTF recommendations. These investments will multiply many fold if we leverage our expertise in energy innovation and climate solutions throughout our operations, education, research, and outreach activities. This effort requires oversight and structure to guide the various efforts and initiatives so that maximum efficiency and impact are achieved. A Carbon Emission Reduction Action Team has been proposed to do so while positioning Penn State as a world leader.
A brief status report on these initiatives will be presented, followed by a guided discussion with some of its leaders.
Room: Presidents Hall
Session Time: Tuesday, May 23, 9:15 am
Session Lead: Tim White
Panelists:
