UNC recently announced its new Climate Action Plan detailing new initiatives to accelerate the university’s reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The original plan from 2009 contained 15 strategies whereas the 2021 draft plan identifies 25 – divided into eight categories. Categories in the 2021 plan include topics like energy, transportation, education and research. Examples of strategies are eliminating coal use, exploring next generation fuels, and procuring renewable energy.

The strategies will help with UNC’s plan to accelerate their goal for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 rather than 2050 – the goal of the 2009 Climate Action Plan. In addition to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040, UNC said it will aim to comply with Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 80 – which calls for a 40 percent statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

Mike Piehler, the UNC Chief Sustainability Officer, said the 2009 plan had fewer strategies than the new revised 2021 plan, however that doesn’t mean progress wasn’t made. Piehler said roughly three quarters of the original initiatives are completed or ongoing.

“We’ve made great progress,” Piehler said. “Notably even as the university’s footprint has increased by 27 percent in terms of square feet we’ve reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent.”

UNC also saw a nine percent increase in campus population since the 2009 plan was released. Piehler said the revised draft reflects the urgency of action needed. He said they’ll focus on feasible plans. This means examining efficiency which can be improved and what future alternatives can be implemented.

“This is an aspirational plan for certain and to meet our aspiration we need to find strategies that are going to be really effective and make substantive changes,” Piehler said.

Piehler said there’s no specific timeline as to when the university will be able to completely diverge from coal and natural gas. He said there has been progress in those areas in the past and the hope is to eventually replace those resources altogether.

“I think the most important step is the first one you take,” Piehler said. “I think this plan is really bold and is really ambitious and we are excited about that its reflects the sustainability priority of the university. And we are looking forward and have actually begun the hard work of digging in on all these strategies and finding a way of moving as quickly as possible and who knows maybe we can exceed that 2040 goal.”

To learn more about the draft of the plan or to provide input, click here.

 

Photo via Sunrise Movement Chapel Hill.


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