Brown University pledging net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040

In an aggressive move to confront what school officials are calling ‘an increasingly dire threat posed by global climate change’, Brown University is pledging to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions 75% by 2025, in the hopes of getting that number to net-zero by 2040.

The school has released its four-phase plan that will be continuously revised to make sure the school is using the best tools available, according to a release.

The plan will cost about $1.43 million a year. The school claims the money will be put into the operating budget without redirecting it from academics. Brown is also expecting fundraising will offset some of the cost.

The first phase is already in the works as the school is in agreement with solar and wind power providers. The school will add clean energy to the electrical grid from a solar array in North Kingstown that will essentially cover their own energy needs.

The second step will be to convert the central heating facility to bio-oil as the primary fuel, getting away from natural gas. However, natural gas will still be used as a back-up.

The third phase will be upgrading infrastructure in buildings to adapt to a renewable heat source, and by 2038, the school will move away from the biofuel and heat its facilities completely by way of renewable electricity.

“The whole world needs to be at net-zero by the latest 2050, in order to have a decent chance at averting catastrophic climate change,” said Assistant Provost for Sustainability at Brown, Stephen Porder. “We signed up to purchase our electricity from renewable resources.”

Porder, who is also an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said he hopes the school is setting an example, and other institutions and business follow.

“My honest hope is that every other university and business in the country comes out and does it faster than we do,” he said. “This is a race to zero and we don’t want to be the winner at 2040.”