Project Overview: Based on a 2007 CU Boulder campus-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction pledge, the Conceptual Plan for Carbon Neutrality (CPCN) was completed in August 2009. The plan focused on short- term goals to improve CU Boulder’s carbon emissions trajectory as soon as possible with a plan to develop a long-term strategy in the future. The plan has not been updated since 2009, and the new Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a year-long endeavor to produce an updated plan that serves the needs of the university and the broader community. The new CAP will broaden the focus to include Scopes 1, 2, and 3 for GHG emissions, as well as address the issues of climate justice, and resilience.
A specific focus of the CAP is climate justice, aimed at ensuring equitable and inclusive approaches to climate mitigation and carbon neutrality by no later than 2050. The Climate Justice team includes CU faculty, staff, undergraduate, and graduate students doing work to ensure that equity and justice are at the forefront of the plan. The CAP will include details on strategies/investments, recommended prioritization of them, and a clear outline of who is responsible for and who should be consulted in the implementation of the plan and its parts once it is completed. The themes of equity and resilience will be applied consistently to each of the recommended strategies/projects and to the plan overall.
acist situations, stances, and rhetoric within the environmental discourses. Students will be able to engage with guest speakers in anti-racist development-environment practice, activism, policymaking, and/or community organizing. Students will also develop skills to identify racist practices in environmental decisions and policymaking, and engage in anti-racist action both within academic and non-academic contexts.
Impact: The Climate Action Plan ensures the University’s commitment to carbon neutrality and sustainability. The Climate Justice component of the plan ensures that this approach is just and equitable and that it doesn’t exacerbate past inequity and works to achieve
Action Needed: In order to ensure equity in the process, all students, staff, and faculty from the underrepresented backgrounds will be compensated to ensure their perspectives are included and valued in the process. To support long-term engagement with a diverse range of stakeholder groups within and beyond the CU community, it is vital to have long-term funding to support a position that ensures accountability for the outcomes of the plan. A permanent position focused on equitable outcomes of the plan and commitment to underserved stakeholders would go a long way in ensuring plan success.