University of California, Los Angeles
IN-50: Innovation D

In 2014 the UC System formed the Global Climate Leadership Council to advise on achieving the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 and to also provide guidance on integrating the carbon neutrality initiative and other sustainability goals into UC’s teaching, research and public service mission. “The council is comprised of scientists, administrators, students and experts from inside and outside UC and will engage the entire university community in its effort to seek out the best practices, policies and technology to achieve carbon neutrality and to advance teaching and research in climate change and sustainability (UCOP 2015 Annual Report on Sustainable Practices).”

The council is organized around key areas of contribution toward the initiative’s success: Energy services, Applicable research, Campus and medical center climate action plans, Sustainability policy, Faculty engagement and education, Student engagement, Health sciences and services, Financial strategies, Communications and political advocacy. The council is comprised of faculty administrators, students and experts from inside and outside UC and is engaging the entire university community in its effort.

Since its formation, the GCLC has funded and supported 26 research and engagement projects. “These projects leverage faculty expertise and student creativity to accelerate and enhance the University’s global leadership in climate change research, education, and business practices.” They include UC’s Faculty Climate Action Champions and the Carbon Neutrality Student Fellows, selected at each of our locations. The Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) Student Fellowship Programs launched in 2014-15 with 36 CNI fellows, involving undergraduate and graduate students throughout the UC system. The CNI fellows includes a student ambassador at each campus to help communicate about the initiative within each campus and between campuses. The GCLC also funded the creation of a year-long climate action fellowship award for one faculty member on each campus for the 2015-2016 academic year. “The program promotes faculty leadership in scholarship and teaching about climate-action solutions (UCOP 2016 Annual Report on Sustainable Practices).”

In addition to the overall UC system wide innovation, UCLA has played a pivotal role in the GCLC. UCLA Professor Ann Carlson, Faculty Co-Director of the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and Environment chaired the Carbon Neutrality Finance and Management Task Force, a critical effort examining barriers for UC to achieve carbon neutrality and how to overcome them. The final report from the Task Force, Overcoming Barriers to Carbon Neutrality is available online here: https://www.ucop.edu/carbon-neutrality-initiative/_files/overcoming-barriers-to-carbon-neutrality.pdf