Reinforcing their efforts were tireless grassroots activists in communities across the land, an increasing number of smart, socially responsible business leaders who acknowledged the reality of climate change and began shrinking their firms' carbon footprints, and college and university green campus advocates with a vision of higher education as environmental leader and a key piece in the climate action puzzle.

Noteworthy among climate action campaigns is the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a national program now involving over 645 institutions of higher learning whose presidents have pledged to achieve "climate neutrality" at the earliest possible date. This exciting initiative is rooted in a recognition that climate change is the most serious environmental problem our planet and species have ever faced, and it is essential that colleges and universities recognize this reality, step up to the plate, and respond proactively in a leadership fashion.

While we owe a debt of gratitude to schools that take ACUPCC seriously, it is also, in a sense, a no brainer because to do otherwise would be to demonstrate profound irrelevance—"to fiddle while Rome burns." Having spent all of myadult life in academia, first as a student and then as professional staff and adjunct faculty, I am well aware of the ivory tower disconnect and have always believed that academia should be socially relevant and address the largerproblems we face on planet Earth.

The ACUPCC calls on higher education to re-focus academics and research in greener directions— an overdue and incredibly important undertaking. With regard to campus operations, the ACUPCC requires signatories to create and implement a long-term plan that will shrink campus greenhouse gas emissions to zero. Given our collective near-total reliance on fossil fuels, it is fair to ask: Is this really possible? The answer is yes, but with qualifications and the caveat that it won't be easy. While the devil will be in the details for each campus, in two broad strokes here's how to achieve campus climate neutrality:

• Reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions (principally carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion) to a bare minimum through aggressive energy conservation and efficiency and the deployment of on-site renewable energy technologies; and
• Dispense with remaining fossil fuel reliance and greenhouse gas emissions with green power purchases or carbon offsets.

Adding to the challenge, the ACUPCC defines campus carbon footprint expansively to include not only the greenhouse gas emissions associated with on-campus fossil fuel burning and electricity purchases but also some “Scope 3” indirect emissions including those associated with student, faculty and staff commuting—surely, a tough, though important, nut to crack.

Despite its difficulty, achieving climate neutrality is the right goal for colleges and universities. After all, the scientific community is telling us thatindustrialized countries like the United States must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 to avoid atmospheric carbon dioxide levels exceeding 450 part per million and resultant runaway climate change. And some scientists like Jim Hansen question the 450 ppm threshold, arguing that the safe concentration of CO2 is probably 350 ppm—a level which has already been exceeded. While the debate continues on 450 vs. 350 ppm, there is a consensus that we must nearly quit fossil fuels use entirely and do it soon. Thus, real leaders need to get out there early (and, really, we are past “early” now) and go the extra mile—and that’s what the ACUPCC attempts to do.

I’ve had the honor of developing some resources, including a climate action planning guide, for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and the ACUPCC. While here I am speaking for myself and not either program, I would like to share some insights gleaned from writing that guide and from the many years I spent on campus implementing energy and green campus programs.

Here is a reality check in the form of a dozen key points about campus climate neutrality:

1. Climate Action Plans Should Be Serious About Achieving Climate Neutrality. Because achieving climate neutrality is difficult, it is tempting to paint the goal as merely “aspirational,” i.e. to treat it as an aspiration and direction. But the climate emergency we face is real, and we must not just aspire to meet it. ACUPCC schools—and I would like to think all colleges and universities—should develop real plans that will really get them to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Climate Neutrality Dates Should Be Sooner Rather Than Later. It is tempting to plan to achieve climate neutrality at some very distant date—conveniently after current campus climate activists, administrators, and presidents will be long gone—thus reducing costs and work load in the near term and postponing difficult decisions. But buying time and giving short shrift to this commitment is a luxury we don’t have. In 2006, Dr. Hansen rang the alarm and said we had just ten years to reverse course and, as a nation and world, get on a downward emissions trajectory. Yet since then, little has been done and our catastrophic path remains unchanged. If the national goal is a minimum of 80 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050, real college and university leadership requires achieving climate neutrality in ten or fifteen years at most.

3. A Super Commitment By Top Leadership Is Essential. It’s great that so many college and university presidents have signed the ACUPCC. However, probably not all knew what they were getting themselves into and how challenging it is to achieve climate neutrality. I fear that there will be many frustrated campus energy officers and sustainability directors lamenting the inadequacy of their campus climate action plans unless college and university presidents get more involved in the climate action planning process on their campuses and assign this project the top priority it deserves.

4. Accept That Campus Climate Neutrality Will Involve Substantial Costs. It would be great if it were possible to structure a campus climate neutrality plan that would pay for itself, especially since energy conservation and efficiency improvements can be self-financing. But achieving climate neutrality in a reasonable time frame on the cheap seems very unlikely given the unavoidable and potentially substantial costs associated with implementing long payback energy conservation measures, installing extensive on-site renewables, and buying substantial amounts of green power and carbon offsets. I would point out that the vast majority of campus programs cost money and do not pay for themselves. Expending resources on climate neutrality is the cost of doing business and demonstrating genuine leadership during an environmental crisis.

5. Campus Climate Action Planning Should Be An Open And Inclusive Process. This is not a project for a bunch of experts or political confidants to accomplish in a locked room. To achieve the best possible climate action plan with the greatest buy-in and chance of success, it’s important to invite everyone to the table and develop that plan together—collaboratively and transparently. One way of increasing participation in and support for the institutional climate commitment is to promote a personal pledge that students, faculty, and staff can take to achieve carbon neutrality in their own lives while making specific personal contributions toward the campus effort.

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