| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.87 |
| Liaison | Carrie Metzgar |
| Submission Date | Nov. 5, 2024 |
University of California, San Diego
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Carrie
Metzgar Campus Sustainability Officer Utilities & Sustainability |
Local advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
UC San Diego has engaged in the following municipal/local advocacy efforts for sustainability over the past three years:
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Endorsement of the City of San Diego's Climate Equity Index: UC San Diego endorsed the City of San Diego's Climate Equity Index, which aims to identify and address climate-related disparities in vulnerable communities. The university has also provided research support and expertise to inform the development of the index. (https://www.sandiego.gov/sustainability-mobility/climate-action/climate-equity)
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Endorsement of the City of San Diego's Climate Action Plan Update: UC San Diego endorsed the City of San Diego's Climate Action Plan Update, which sets a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2035. The university has been actively involved in implementing the plan, including reducing energy consumption and promoting alternative transportation. https://www.sandiego.gov/sustainability-mobility/climate-action/cap
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Endorsement of the San Diego County Regional Decarbonization Framework: UC San Diego endorsed the San Diego County Regional Decarbonization Framework, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region. The university has been working to reduce its own carbon footprint, including increasing its use of renewable energy and promoting sustainable transportation. https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sustainability/regional-decarbonization.html
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Support for the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's Climate Change Policy: UC San Diego supported the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's Climate Change Policy, which aims to reduce the impacts of climate change on water quality in the region. The university has also implemented various water conservation initiatives on campus, including low-flow showerheads and toilets, and a rainwater harvesting system.
UC San Diego’s public advocacy at the municipal/local level is led by the Government and Community Relations (GCR) department. GCR serves as the primary liaison between the university and government entities, including community groups and leaders. The Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board (CCAB) advocates for UC San Diego and advises the Chancellor, with specific emphasis on the university’s role in the community. The board also supports the formulation and execution of advocacy plans and programs related to increasing the community’s understanding of the positive impact UC San Diego has on the region’s development and progress.
Regional advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
UC STATE GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
UC State Governmental Relations (SGR) regularly engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state level. This is done by supporting legislation, coordinating state boards, departments, and agencies with UC leadership, and providing briefings and meeting sessions for staff to learn about climate sustainability.
For example, in 2021 the University of California supported a state general fund budget allocation of $100 million dollars to support climate action seed and matching grants for California-based researchers. The awards given out to 38 teams to conduct two-year climate resilience projects. Partnerships funded by these projects span 51 of CA’s 58 counties. $9.2 million of the grants were distributed directly to community, public agencies, nonprofit and tribal partners. “As the state’s preeminent research institution, the University of California is proud to partner with the state to pursue our shared climate goals. The innovations catalyzed by the Climate Action awards will make all of our communities safer, more sustainable, and more resilient,” said UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “I am grateful to the state Legislature and Gov. Newsom for providing funding to support this critical research on climate change in California.”
Additionally, the University of California has hosted several meetings in recent years for staff and legislators to learn about UC’s climate sustainability efforts. In Fall 2023, several key legislative and committee staffers toured the Quail Ridge field station, which is part of the UC Natural Reserve System. Additionally, UC hosted briefings over the last few years with UC research leadership and the Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, and the Chair of the California Energy Commission, among others. These efforts have led to productive partnerships between UC campuses and decisionmakers in the State of California who oversee climate sustainability.
For more about the SGR, please visit: https://www.ucop.edu/state-governmental-relations/
National advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
UC FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
UC Federal Governmental Relations (FGR) is the University’s liaison to the federal government, working with Congress, the administration, federal agencies and national organizations to advocate for the University and its missions in education, research and public service. Examples of how the UC has engaged in national public policy advocacy for sustainability over the past three years are below.
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White House Forum on Campus and Community-Scale Climate Change Solutions: Several members of the UC community played a role in developing and hosting the forum at the White House in March 2023. Participants from the higher education community gathered to discuss innovative sustainability and resilience solutions being developed, demonstrated, and taught on campuses and how these solutions can be expanded to and implemented on other campuses, in the surrounding communities, and beyond, all captured in a summary report. This forum was part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, and increase community resilience to extreme weather and other climate impacts.
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California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR): UC Federal Governmental Relations supports the federal advocacy of the California Institute for Water Resources (one of 50 federally funded state water resources research institutes). Federal funding supports early career researchers across multiple UC and CSU institutions and projects related to rotating USGS-identified priorities. Erik Porse of CIWR/ UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) was most recently in DC in February 2024 advocating for increased funding for the Water Resources Research Institutes (WRRIs0 and helped develop the framing of an April 2024 Congressional briefing on water research.
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ARCHES Hydrogen Hub: UC was one of the founding partners of the ARCHES hydrogen hub, one of seven federally funded hydrogen hubs accelerating the deployment of renewable, clean hydrogen projects and infrastructure. Members of the ARCHES leadership team have socialized ARCHES projects with the CA congressional delegation and committees of jurisdiction over several opportunities in DC during 2024.
UC FGR also continues to advocate for sustainability-related research programs at federal agencies, both on the funding and policy sides.
For more information about UC Federal Governmental Relations, please visit: https://www.ucop.edu/federal-governmental-relations/
UC SAN DIEGO FEDERAL RELATIONS
Below are examples of how UC San Diego engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level.
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Advocacy for Decarbonization Measures: UC San Diego actively discusses and demonstrates the value and impact of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Department of Education (DOE) funding with our DC-based federal partners (including policymakers and legislators) to support development of innovative decarbonization measures, including for the Voigt Electric Mobility Hub and the forthcoming DERConnect.
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Triton Lobby Corps and ASUCSD: UC San Diego student advocates from Triton Lobby Corps and ASUCSD have featured climate and sustainability policy recommendations in each of their annual visits to Washington, DC during 2023 and 2024, sharing support for federal investments in sustainability with policymakers and legislators on Capitol Hill.
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Discussions with Policymakers: As part of UC San Diego’s work in federal relations, we regularly share climate and sustainability-related initiatives, narratives, and data with policymakers to articulate and underscore the importance of additional federal investments in climate- and sustainability-related policies, which would allow the campus to innovate even further with federal funding and regulatory flexibilities. For example, this past year the work of the UC San Diego Climate Action Lab was often highlighted in discussions with policymakers.
For more information about UC San Diego Federal Relations, please visit: https://chancellor.ucsd.edu/community/government-community-relations/index.html
International advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
UNIVERSITY CLIMATE CHANGE COALITION (UC3)
The University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) is a core program of Second Nature that connects 23 of the world’s leading research universities committed to accelerating climate action on campus, in communities, and at a global scale. Second Nature supports UC3 universities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge, foster cross-sector partnerships, and drive meaningful and scalable action on climate change. The University of California was a founding member of the coalition in 2018. The Coalition’s 2020-2025 UC3 Strategic Plan (https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/UC3-Strategic-Plan-2020-2025.pdf) represents an updated vision and trajectory for the Coalition, building upon its successes and lessons learned over the past two years from cross-sector forums, internal collaborations, and partnerships with local and regional stakeholders.
For more information about UC3, please visit: https://secondnature.org/climate-leadership-network/uc3/
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES OF PARTIES (COP)
The University of California is an observer organization accredited by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The status grants the university system the ability to participate in the international climate negotiations known as Conferences of the Parties, or COPs. The United Nations-led conference will draw heads of state, national negotiators and non-governmental organizations to build consensus and facilitate progress on climate action among 197 countries and the European Union. UC San Diego representatives from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the School of Global Policy and Strategy attended the conference in 2023 and 2024.
For more information about the UC and UC San Diego’s involvement in COP, please visit:
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/the-ocean-pavilion-returns-to-international-climate-conference-for-a-third-year
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS NETWORK – USA
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) USA is hosted by three universities: Howard, Carnegie Mellon, and UC San Diego. Together these universities, along with a network of more than 100 higher education institutions, are at the core of the SDSN USA. At UC San Diego, the SDG Policy Initiative is the organization that facilitates the connection. As a leader in SDSN, the UC San Diego uses the SDGs as a framework for bringing together policymakers and researchers to inform evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future.
For more information about the SDSN, please visit: https://sdgpolicyinitiative.org/sdsn-usa/
PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is a scientific academy of the Vatican City aimed at promoting the progress of the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, UC San Diego Distinguished Professor Emeritus, serves in the council that reports to Pope Francis. In 2023, Professor Ramanathan was a signatory on “Climate Policies for all People and for Nature,” an urgent global call for action on climate change.
For more information about Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the call for action, please visit:
Optional Fields
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The following public policy advocacy highlights may not satisfy criteria, but are noteworthy efforts conducted on local, state, and federal levels.
UC ADVOCACY NETWORK
The UC Advocacy Network (UCAN) focuses on policy issues that matter to UC staff, students, alumni, and faculty. One of UCAN’s active public policy campaigns is "Climate Change.” As of fall 2024, there are over 5,200 signatories. UCAN states the following about the advocacy campaign:
“Across our campuses, hundreds of researchers are working to help California and the world move away from fossil fuels and develop scalable solutions to drought, wildfire and the other catastrophic impacts of a warming planet. But swift climate action requires a united front. Your advocacy is critical to our efforts to accelerate action-oriented climate research and expand education and outreach on environment and sustainability issues. Will you stand with us in showing that the UC community is united in demanding urgent action?”
For more information about UCAN’s Climate Change advocacy campaign, please visit:
ADDITIONAL UC SAN DIEGO SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE ADVOCACY:
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UC San Diego hosted an on-campus reception in winter 2023 for federal (as well as local and state) policymakers that simultaneously showcased the value/impact of new electric buses deployed on/around campus.
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When hosting on-campus visits for federal policymakers and legislators, UC San Diego discusses and showcases the campus’s national leadership in deploying innovative Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), including campuswide adaptive load management, with a focus on the scalability of these innovations.
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Campus-based research projects funded by NSF are regularly featured in discussions with policymakers as evidence of the value and impact of climate and sustainability investments, including the CoPe Extreme Heat Research Hub, funded by NSF.
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Numerous faculty members conduct individual advocacy related to decarbonization and sustainability in Washington DC throughout the year, contributing their expertise to federal agencies, non-profits, think tanks, and other national organizations that address sustainability policy.
Points of contact for credit information:
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Carrie Metzgar, Campus Sustainability Officer, Utilities & Sustainability
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Carl Welliver, Associate Director, UC San Diego Federal Relations
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Michael Bedard, Deputy Director, University of California State Governmental Relations
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Phillip Harman, Director of Research, University of California Federal Governmental Relations
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Annie Nguyen, Assistant Director for Governmental Relations and Legislative Analysis, University of California Federal Governmental Relations
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Kent Springfield, Director of Health and Clinical Affairs, University of California State Governmental Relations
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.