University of California, Los Angeles
PAE-5: Climate Action Plan

In 2007, in response to growing concern over the impacts of climate change, the 10 campuses of the University of California system and the UC Office of the President developed a climate protection section of the UC Sustainable Practices Policy. The UC Policy set three climate change goals for the 10 UC campuses:
•Reduction in campus emissions to year 2000 levels by 2014;
•Reduction in campus emissions to year 1990 levels by 2020; and
•Attainment of climate neutrality as soon as possible.

These goals are in parallel with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32) and based on the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which the UC President and the UC Council of Chancellor’s signed, joining university leaders across the country. The UC policy also calls for UC campuses to draft a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that examines the feasibility of meeting these goals.

UCLA has a decades-long history of pursuing sustainable practices in campuswide operations and has established extensive academic, research, and community outreach programs in climate change and sustainability. By building upon past achievements, UCLA's Climate Action Plan (CAP) outlines a comprehensive range of initiatives to advance campus sustainable practices and further reduce UCLA’s carbon footprint. The UCLA Climate Action Plan addresses carbon emission reduction initiatives including behavioral change, energy use and conservation, student and workforce commutes, and air travel. The Climate Action Plan also examines the feasibility of these initiatives and determines a target for UCLA greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. Every initiative that is implemented moves the campus closer to achieving the ultimate goal of climate neutrality.

In addition to the system-wide emission reduction targets, UCLA has set the following targets specific to transportation:

* Increase number of PZEV/ZV/ATPZEV Fleet vehicles by 20% by 2010
* Increase number of PZEV/ZV/ATPZEV Fleet vehicles by 40% by 2014
* Increase number of PZEV/ZV/ATPZEV Fleet vehicles by 70% by 2020
* Estimated that entire campus Fleet will run on non-carbon based fuel by 2050
* Reduce employee single occupant vehicle ridership to 50%
* Maintain employee single occupant vehicle at 50% with anticipated population growth
* Reduce faculty/staff air travel by 5% by 2020

UCLA's comprehensive Climate Action Plan lays out a plan for the university to achieve that goal several years ahead of schedule. The plan was authored by members of the UCLA Sustainability Committee, founded in 2005 and made up of students, staff and faculty that help catalyze and prioritize sustainability initiatives on campus. The plan catalogues the steps the University has taken in the past and contains a detailed financial feasibility analysis for the initiatives the University will undertake in energy and transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

This Climate Action Plan considers initiatives that focus on reductions in GHG emissions from stationary source energy use (i.e. Cogeneration Plant and purchased utilities) and emissions from mobile sources (campus fleet vehicles, commutes, and air travel). The GHG reduction initiatives described in this CAP fall into three main categories:

•energy use reduction and efficiency;
•mobility – reduction in vehicle miles traveled and utilization of alternative transportation modes; and
•behavioral changes aimed at influencing individual and institutional choices related to energy use and mobility.

Energy initiatives include building system upgrades that improve efficiency of heating and cooling equipment, installation of more energy efficient lighting systems, and inclusion of “green” power and solar energy in the campus’ energy portfolio. Improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings and pursuing alternative energy sources will result in a significant reduction in the GHG emissions of the campus.

Transportation initiatives will increase the number of clean and alternative fuel fleet vehicles, reduce single-occupant commutes to campus, and possibly establish an emissions mitigation fund for air travel, all of which would contribute to a substantial emission reduction potential.

This Climate Action Plan also recognizes that behavior change is at the core of many of UCLA’s proposed initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. Behavioral change toward more sustainable practices, though difficult to quantify in terms of emissions reduction, is inherent in all GHG emission reduction initiatives. Provision of sustainability education awareness in campus operations continues to positively influence areas such as recycling, purchasing, housing, dining, as well as energy and water conservation. With engagement and support from the Campus Sustainability Committee and a full-time campus sustainability coordinator, a “culture of sustainability” is emerging campuswide.

In addition to these initiatives, academic and research initiatives addressed in this Climate Action Plan will have an enduring benefit by creating new technologies and training students to become leaders in addressing challenges of global climate change for years to come.