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University of Massachusetts Amherst commits to 100 percent renewable energy

Posted on April 26, 2022April 26, 2022 by dishanth

The University of Massachusetts added to the Earth Day festivities Friday when Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy announced that the state’s flagship public university will power its campus entirely with renewable energy by 2032. MASSPIRG Students at UMass Amherst, with support from Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center and Environment America Research & Policy Center, led the effort in securing UMass’ commitment to generating 100% of its power from renewable energy sources.

“The University’s commitment to 100% renewable energy marks a culmination of work and passion from students, faculty and administrators,” said Caroline Sunuwar, a sophomore at UMass Amherst and the 100% Renewable Energy Campaign Coordinator with MASSPIRG Students. “This crucial issue has unified the UMass community to bring a vision of a better future to fruition and drive progress toward 100% renewable energy.”

The wide-ranging plan aims for 80% reliance on renewable energy by 2030, and 100% by 2032, with “energy” defined as electricity, heating/cooling and transportation. Core features of the plan include reducing energy waste on campus by adopting higher green building standards for new buildings & renovations, a behavior change initiative to promote voluntary conservation, and making strategic efficiency improvements that slash energy waste.

The plan also includes retiring the campus’ steam heating network and replacing it with low-temperature hot water for heating. Heat will come from geothermal wells drilled under the athletic fields, a solar thermal array, and other non-fossil fuel sources. The campus also plans to add more on-campus solar and shift the entire campus fleet to electric vehicles by 2030.

“This plan puts UMass Amherst among the leading universities in the transition to renewable energy,” said Johanna Neumann, Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Senior Director for 100% Renewable Energy and a resident of Amherst. “UMass students, faculty and staff built and demonstrated support for eliminating fossil fuel use on campus for years and it’s exciting to see the administration commit to that vision. Now, it’s time for other major colleges and universities to follow in UMass’ trailblazing footsteps toward a future powered exclusively by clean energy.”

The Student PIRGs, in partnership with Environment America Research & Policy Center, have worked with students on more than 50 campuses in 15 states to transition higher education to 100 percent renewable energy. Other universities, including Boston University and Harvard, have committed to 100% clean electricity, while the University of California, Berkeley has pledged to phase out all fossil fuels by 2050.

“This is a bold plan, worthy of the flagship university of a Commonwealth that aims to be at the forefront of the clean energy transition,” said Ben Hellerstein, Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center’s state director. “Repowering a major university campus with renewable energy is no small task, but it is a necessary one. The work underway at UMass sets a powerful example for other institutions, and state leaders on Beacon Hill, to follow.”

The Legislature is considering a bill sponsored by state Reps. Marjorie Decker and Sean Garballey, the 100% Clean Act (H.3288, S.2136), that would transition Massachusetts to 100% clean sources of energy for electricity, heating, and transportation.

“Congratulations to my alma mater UMass Amherst, which is paving the way forward by modeling its commitment to a future that is no longer reliant on fossil fuels,” said Rep. Decker. “I am a proud alumna and a grateful legislator and parent who knows the urgency of this transition is our best hope for a healthier future for all of us. We are already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change, which is threatening our security and harming many who are already economically and politically marginalized.”

For more information about the campaign to shift America’s colleges and universities to 100 percent renewable energy: https://www.go100renewablecampus.org/ or https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/100-renewable

Source Environment America

Climate change: Biden summit to push for ‘immediate’ action

Posted on April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 by dishanth

The US will attempt to re-assert its global leadership on climate change as President Joe Biden hosts 40 leaders at a virtual summit in the White House.

It’s expected that the US will unveil an updated carbon pledge that will see their emissions nearly halved by 2030.

Ahead of the meeting, officials urged greater ambition on countries perceived as laggards on climate.

Referring to Australia, an official said “there would have to be a shift” in their approach.

President Biden has made climate change a key focus in the early days of his administration.

As well as re-joining the Paris climate agreement on his first day in office, he announced early on that he would gather around 40 world leaders for a global summit on Earth Day – 22 April.

President Biden rejoined the Paris agreement on his first day in office and pledged to hold a leaders summit shortly after Image Jim Watson

Among those attending will be China’s President Xi Jinping.

Despite serious tensions between the two countries on a host of issues, both sides seem keen to keep climate change separate from these disputes. Last weekend, the two countries issued a joint statement saying they would tackle climate “with the seriousness and urgency it demands”.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, a senior Biden administration official spoke warmly about the potential for co-operation.

“It’s quite clear that there is a distinctly shared level of ambition. Both countries see this as a crisis. Both countries see the need for action in the 2020s. Both countries see the need to work towards holding the increase in global temperatures to 1.5C,” he said.

“We certainly hope that President Xi will come to the meeting, and further elaborate on some of the additional efforts that China would choose to make. But I think we’ve got a very strong basis in the joint statement that the two countries made about the directions they seem to be moving.”

Protestors outside the White House hold cardboard cut outs of the leaders due to meet Source Reuters

But for other countries who have been slow to embrace action on climate change, the Biden team were less effusive.

Both Brazil and Australia’s sceptical approach to the issue had found favour in the Trump White House. That’s no longer the case.

“At the moment, I think that our colleagues in Australia recognise that there’s going to have to be a shift,” one official said.

“It’s insufficient to follow the existing trajectory, and hope that they will be on a course to deep decarbonisation, and getting to net zero emissions by mid-century.”

Speaking about Brazil, the same official said: “The expectation for all countries is that the ambition has to be increased immediately.”

But while the US is talking strongly about ambition, the proof of change for many observers will be in their new carbon-cutting pledge for 2030 they are expected to announce at the summit.

Despite some earlier uncertainty, China President Xi Jinping will address the US summit

This will require some clever footwork from the US. They will have to go for a figure that is scientifically credible but also politically achievable.

While the Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives, the Senate is essentially deadlocked, making the passage of new climate legislation rather tricky.

“It seems to me that President Biden is in a bit of a bind, and he has to deal with the Congress that he has,” said Samantha Gross from the Brookings Institution.

“But I believe that Congress, particularly the Republicans, haven’t really kept up with increasing concern among the American public about climate.”

For some in the international community, even the mooted 50% cut in emissions won’t be going far enough.

A coal train snakes through the landscape in the US – predictions are that coal use will increase this year as the economy recovers from the pandemic Source Getty Images

“The US should cut at least 55% from 2005 levels by 2030 to inspire others to raise their ambitions,” said Quamrul Chowdhury, from Bangladesh and a climate negotiator for the Least Developed countries group.

“Mitigation is the best adaptation and major economies must cutback emissions quickly and steeply.”

The US pledge will undoubtedly be the headline, whatever its size – but there are also expected to be new steps announced by a number of countries.

“The three that I think are most likely beside the US to step up at this summit are Canada, Japan and South Korea,” said Helen Mountford from the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison has been criticised for slow action on climate Source Tracy Nearmy

“China… would be fantastic, but I think [we[ quite likely might wait longer, I wouldn’t expect it at this time.”

She added: “India is a real question mark, but whether they’re going to announce either a net zero target or enhanced plan, I would say there’s less of a chance of that.”

For those who were involved in the negotiations that led to the Paris agreement in 2015, the key thing this week is not to derail the discussions at the first hurdle.

This is the first big climate meeting of a critical year that will culminate in a gathering of around 200 world leaders in Glasgow in November at COP26.

“I think that for the US leaders summit to be a success, we need to have the 40 leaders present and expressing their willingness to reach strong agreement by Glasgow,” said Remy Rioux, who was a negotiator for France during the Paris talks.

“And also for the US to demonstrate that they are back, and that they are back as convincingly and strongly as possible.”

By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Source BBC