Harvard researchers are tackling climate change by helping

us better understand the scope of its effects and generating

promising new solutions. On campus, the University community

is also taking action.

In 2016, Harvard achieved its 10-year goal to reduce on-campus

greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, even as square

footage increased by 12 percent. Now, a new set of ambitious,

science-based climate commitments build on this progress by

providing a blueprint for the transition to a healthier, fossil fuel-

free future.

Harvard’s climate action plan gives the University a unique

opportunity to use the campus to directly engage faculty and

students in addressing the difficult and unanswered questions

and pressing challenges posed by human-induced

climate change.

As Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle

Williams has said, “health is the human face of climate change.” The

University recognizes that its energy choices not only contribute to

our planet’s changing climate, but that there are enormous public

health, ecological, and economic effects that are also associated

with the burning of fossil fuels.

As a society, the full scope of the social damages associated with

fossil fuel use cannot continue to be ignored as we frame policy. As a

University, our community has a moral responsibility to help create

a better understanding of these impacts through multi-disciplinary

research and exploration.

GREEN.HARVARD.EDU/CLIMATE #GREENHARVARD @GREENHARVARD

FOSSIL FUEL-NEUTRAL BY 2026

FOSSIL FUEL-FREE BY 2050

HEALTH IMPACTS OF FOSSIL

FUEL USE:

• Aggravated asthma rates and respiratory problems

• Heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases

• Increased hospitalizations and premature deaths

ADDRESSING THE FULL SCOPE OF SOCIAL DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH FOSSIL FUEL USE

These ambitious goals will be challenging to reach, but the grave risks climate change poses to our health and our planet’s future require essential action. Harvard must remain vigorous in supporting students, faculty, and staff who are championing ideas, expertise, and action related to climate change.

- HARVARD PRESIDENT DREW FAUST

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CLIMATE ACTION PLANA FOSSIL FUEL-FREE FUTURE

MOVING TOWARD A FOSSIL FUEL-FREE FUTUREScience shows that in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, we must aggressively move to eliminate our

reliance on fossil fuels. Rapidly shifting changes in technology and the growing global consensus for action now make

it possible for society to shift the world’s energy choices to a more sustainable path.

FOSSIL FUEL-FREE BY 2050

Our long-term goal is to seek to be fossil fuel-free by 2050, shifting to fossil fuel-free sources for operating and

maintaining Harvard’s campus. This means:

• The electricity Harvard purchases from the regional electric grid and through power purchasing agreements will come from cleaner sources of energy that do not burn fossil fuels, such as solar and offshore wind.

• Harvard’s district energy system will operate without fossil fuels.

• Vehicles owned by Harvard will operate without fossil fuels.

• Setting targets for purchasing externally-provided services or activities that rely as little as possible on fossil fuels.

FOSSIL FUEL-NEUTRAL BY 2026

Our short-term goal is to strive to be fossil fuel-neutral by

2026 by prioritizing aggressive reductions of our campus energy

use, and then offsetting or neutralizing any remaining

greenhouse gas emissions by investing in off-campus projects

such as renewable energy. Harvard will engage its researchers

and industry climate leaders to identify and, where feasible,

invest in projects that credibly reduce emissions while providing

other positive benefits for human health, social equity, and

ecosystem health.

Harvard will help advance these new goals by establishing a Sustainability Executive Committee to oversee progress

and by launching cross-disciplinary working groups that will research and provide recommendations in key areas

including maximizing on-campus energy efficiency, exploring development of a carbon price or surcharge on

on-campus fossil fuel energy use, evaluating off-site emissions reduction projects, and developing guidance for

addressing the University’s Scope 3 emissions.

LEVERAGE NEW RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES BY USING OUR CAMPUS AS A LIVING LAB

Students and faculty will continue to collaborate with Havard on living lab projects that have the potential to inform

the strategy for transitioning away from fossil fuels, and, more importantly, serve as examples for more effective

responses to climate mitigation and preparedness across society.

Harvard’s new climate commitments are based on the recommendations of the 2016–2017 Climate Change Task

Force, a multi-disciplinary group of faculty, students, and senior administrators appointed by President Drew Faust.

WHY FOSSIL FUEL-FREE INSTEAD OF

CARBON FREE?

A focus on only carbon, or greenhouse gas

emissions, is restrictive because it leaves out

the full scope of impacts on human health

and ecosystems from other pollutants and

wastes associated with the sourcing,

production, and burning of fossil fuels.

HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS?

Harvard will continue its work to track and quantify the fossil fuel emissions associated with our

supply chain for purchased goods or services that support campus operations. Once the

magnitude of these so-called Scope 3 emissions are better known for areas such as food, air

travel, and commuting, the University can explore ways to ensure that externally purchased

services or activities rely as little as possible on fossil fuels.

HARVARD’S PATHWAY TO FOSSIL FUEL-FREE

Since 2014, Harvard’s Climate Change Solutions Fund has awarded nearly $4 million in support of 31 multi-disciplinary climate research projects. The University has also provided $7.7 million in funding for 10 projects involving 20 faculty studying climate change and the environment through the Harvard Global Institute, launched in 2015.

30% net emissions reduction from 2006-2016

Energy-efficient buildings and rooftop solar

Fossil fuel-neutral by 2026

Fossil fuel-free districtenergy system

100% renewable regional electric grid

Emissions-free transportation

FOSSIL FUEL-FREE

BY 2050

The process of meeting Harvard’s 2006-2016 climate goal was at its heart a transformational organizational change

effort. By establishing clear priorities, ensuring equity in decision-making, and developing policies which provided

alignment—but also the ability to adapt based on local circumstances—the community rallied to achieve aggressive

reductions in campus energy use.

Led by the Office for Sustainability in partnership with the Schools and units, this strategy ensured people at every

level of the organization could contribute to the University’s progress. From the energy we buy and use, how we

travel to or from campus, or the products we purchase, we will now need to leverage that entrepreneurial culture to

redouble our efforts to fundamentally transform the way we work and live without the use of fossil fuels.

CHANGING THE CULTURE OF HOW WE WORK AND LIVE

GREEN.HARVARD.EDU/CLIMATE #GREENHARVARD @GREENHARVARD

How will we help transition the world away from fossil fuels

as quickly as possible? By bringing researchers together across

disciplines, forming coalitions of like-minded leaders in business,

higher education, and the social sector, and welcoming diverse

viewpoints to the conversation, Harvard is positioned to help

address the sustainable development and energy challenges

facing our global society at an accelerated pace.

FUELING NEW INSIGHTS AND IDEAS

The Climate Solutions Living Lab is a three-year, multi-disciplinary course launched in 2017 that immerses teams of graduate students in hands-on research to design feasible, practical, scalable projects that help organizations achieve ambitious climate goals.

It was created as part of a unique collaboration between Harvard Law School’s Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic and the Office for Sustainability to help inform the University’s on-going climate action strategy.

FUTURE RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES:

• Studying the effectiveness of renewable energy projects and carbon offsets in reducing pollution, enhancing human health, and benefiting the climate. Then, developing criteria that guides the purchasing decisions of organizations.

• Analyzing the emissions footprint of purchased goods and services such as food, air travel, and commuting, and identifying actionable opportunities for reducing the damages associated with their use.

• Collaborating with regional partners in higher education and government on preparedness planning with shared climate projections, vulnerability assessments, and resiliency strategies.