Oregon State University
PAE-5: Climate Plan

By signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), OSU has committed to the long-term goal of achieving climate neutrality. The goal of OSU's Climate Plan is to achieve climate neutrality by 2025. By 2020, OSU plans to achieve net greenhouse gas emissions at least 75 percent below 1990 levels, which would allow for 2025 goals to be practical. These long-term goals first require substantial infrastructure changes, including: 1)conservation and efficiency projects 2)site renewable energy installations 3)carbon offsets, renewable energy certificate purchases, and other off‐site measures. The Climate plan offers a comprehensive analysis of emission reduction and mitigation strategies in each of the major emission sources (scope one). These sources include air travel, stationary sources, electricity, ground transportation, agriculture, solid waste, refrigerants, and other emissions sources not included in the ACUPCC, such as construction related emissions. The Climate Plan also contains recommendations for revisions of future policies related to emissions in regards to lighting, building temperature set‐points, computer power management settings, transportation and other areas. The plan has a section dedicated to education and engagement. Infrastructure and operations are direct sources of emissions, but OSU recognizes the importance of educating students about climate change and sustainability.

An immediate goal of the Climate Plan is to arrest the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and begin to reduce emissions. By 2012, OSU should achieve net greenhouse gas emissions at least 10 percent below 1990 levels. This means that by 2012, OSU must not exceed an emissions rate of 99,857 t CO2e (as stated in the Climate plan and as mandated by the State of Oregon). Specific short-term goals for emissions levels of each source include reducing emissions from agriculture to below 2,150 t CO2e by 2012. The plan offers a financial analysis of the costs/savings aspects of efficiency/conservation projects, installation of a solar array (which could supply OSU with 20 percent of its power demand), and of renewable energy certificates. This analysis illustrates initial investment costs (along with short-term and long-term savings), and it is evident from the analysis that incentives for energy reductions, renewables, and offsets make these measures cost effective in the short-term and long-term.