Brown University's path to net-zero.

 

Climate change is currently one of the biggest threat of 21st century to the planet and public health. It is essential to take actions against this issue because if nothing is done people will experience significant changing of weather patterns, high temperatures such as heat waves, natural calamities like floods, wildfire, drought, increase in sea levels and much more. These threats are not just limited but may also affect the health of not only humans but also plants and animals. Climate change will also affect future employability, infrastructure and global economy negatively. To take urgent action on climate change is the 13th goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.  The key targets of SDG to achieve this goal is to help countries strengthen their infrastructure’s reliance, improve their adaptations to extreme impacts of climate change and by also creating awareness and providing climate changes education.




The greenhouse gas emissions are the leading cause and contributor to the climate change and it continues to grow at a very fast pace. These are the gases that are released into the Earth’s atmosphere and is responsible for raising the temperature of the planet. The United States of America is the largest per capita greenhouse gas emissions producer. The most amount of greenhouse gases come from electricity and heat production such as burning of fossil fuels. Deforestation, agriculture, transportation etc. are some of other major contributor of the emissions.

 

To fight against climate change requires involvement requires a combine effort from everyone including governments, businesses, communities and individuals. Brown University is aware that to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change for the world requires reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. To reduce these emissions, Brown University has a strategic plan which will allow them to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040 and is already on path to reduce it by 75% by 2025. To execute this plan Brown has already collaborated and partnered with multiple energy providers and Energy Development Partners and has finalized two renewable energy projects that will produce enough solar and wind energy to completely shut down all electricity consumption on campus. The first project of Brown University is to create a high capacity solar generation project across a 240-acre land.  This project will produce enough electricity that it will allow Brown University to reduce their electric consumption produced by fossil fuels by 70% annually.


A former sand and gravel mining site in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, will be transformed into 240 acres of solar arrays capable of generating 50 megawatts of direct current. Photo by Brown University


The second renewable energy project is a wind power project being developed in Texas. This project is set to produce enough energy that Brown University will be offsetting 100% of campus electricity and will enable the university to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.


Wind turbines in Fisher County, Texas are helping Brown to offset its electricity use with renewable sources. Brown will purchase renewable energy credits from this facility as part of the University’s effort to offset all its on-campus electricity use with renewable sources. Photo by Brown University. 


It is estimated that along with these two agreements and on-campus efforts, Brown is set to reduce gas emissions by approximately 27,000 metric tons per year by the mid 2020’s. With bold actions, commitments and partnerships to reduce on-campus emissions, Brown want to establish itself as the leader in addressing climate challenges of the 21st century.

 

References: -

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (2020). Global Emissions. [online] Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Available at: https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20world.

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Brown University. (n.d.). New Texas wind farm will help Brown offset campus electricity use. [online] Available at: https://www.brown.edu/news/2020-06-11/wind [Accessed 11 Mar. 2024].

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Brown University. (n.d.). Solar and wind energy projects expected to offset 100 percent of Brown’s on-campus electricity use. [online] Available at: https://www.brown.edu/news/2019-01-17/renewable [Accessed 11 Mar. 2024].

 

 

Sustainability & Resiliency | Brown University. (2020). Reduce Emissions to Net-Zero. [online] Available at: https://sustainability.brown.edu/commitments/reduce-emissions [Accessed 11 Mar. 2024].


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