After a federal agreement and an ongoing budget deficit rocked the University’s balance sheet, administrators announced early last month that its carbon reduction efforts would be paused for the year.
While environmental faculty — many of whom produce work focused on mitigating the effects and causes of climate change — see the pause as a setback for the University’s efforts, many told The Herald they understand why the decision had to be made.
According to Brown’s Path to Net-Zero, the University has been aiming to reduce campus emissions by 75% from the FY18 benchmark by this year, with the ultimate goal of achieving net-zero by 2040. Brown plans to resume the paused work in phases starting in fiscal year 2027.
“Leaders in the Office of Sustainability and Resiliency are actively working with campus partners to finalize specific actions to reduce costs and determine elements of net-zero planning that can be shifted or amended,” wrote Amanda McGregor, a University spokesperson, in an email to The Herald.
According to McGregor, the pause will not affect “Brown’s commitment to sourcing all of its campus electricity from renewable sources or the University’s ongoing transition from gas-powered to electric equipment and vehicles.”
Brown will also “continue its commitment to net-zero buildings for new construction, including the under-construction indoor turf facility and the Danoff Laboratories life sciences research facility,” McGregor wrote, adding that the University believes the laboratory will be “one of the first net-zero laboratory constructions in New England” upon its estimated opening in 2027.
Emanuele Di Lorenzo, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, expressed disappointment about the decision to pause Brown’s carbon reduction efforts, but he recognized the University’s financial strain.
“These are not easy decisions, and I don’t negatively judge the administration for making them,” Di Lorenzo wrote in an email to The Herald. “I support prioritizing keeping colleagues and staff employed as the more immediate concern.”
Similarly, Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society Kim Cobb described the decision as an “unfortunate byproduct of the extraordinary times we find ourselves in.”
But despite the delay, Di Lorenzo believes Brown can still reach net-zero. He noted, though, that “the longer the delay, the harder it will be to stay on track.”
“Renewable electricity is already secured, but further upgrades, such as improving heating systems, are time-sensitive,” Di Lorenzo wrote. He explained that the pause could lead to higher costs and delayed benefits for those on campus.
Stephen Porder, professor of ecology, evolutionary and organismal biology and environment and society, echoed this sentiment.
In an email to The Herald, Porder noted that one of the biggest dangers of a pause “is that it is hard to restart, and the financial headwinds faced by the University are likely to remain strong for some time.” He believes that the University will still be able to reach its goals if the pause only lasts for a single year.
Porder led the writing and implementation of the University Strategic Sustainability Plan, which included the University’s carbon reduction targets. Brown’s goals include decarbonizing its buildings, ceasing fossil fuel combustion on campus and progressing to completely electric heating, Porder explained.
The University has already made major efforts toward its emissions goals, including acquiring all of its net annual electricity from renewable sources, Porder wrote. But he added that these goals cannot be achieved without “significant expense.”
“Thus, it is imperative that our community, and our leadership, remain laser-focused on the critical goal of emissions reduction,” he wrote. “If one of the richest universities in the world (even in this moment) cannot ‘afford’ to decarbonize, who can?”
Beyond the University’s financial challenges, supply chain shortages for sustainable equipment and a lack of federal prioritization of emission reductions have led to increased difficulty in achieving net-zero targets, said Kurt Teichert, a teaching professor in IBES.
For Teichert, the pause is an example of “sound fiscal management.” He expressed optimism in being able to make future investments in “higher efficiency equipment” after Brown’s pause on emissions efforts is lifted.
“Hopefully some of the supply chain issues will be sorted out, and we’ll be able to make even more happen with that money than we could this year under very challenging economic conditions,” he said.
Cobb added that it would be possible to “make up for lost time” if the University is able to recommit to its net-zero path as soon as possible. She said she was “fairly confident” that this issue is valued enough by the Brown community to be continued “as soon as this particular moment has passed us by.”
Teichert noted Brown’s strong standing among its peers in its efforts towards sustainability, adding the University has always backed its carbon reduction and energy efficiency goals with a financial plan before making any “declarations.”
But not all environmental faculty members were as satisfied with the University’s explanation.
“I was not aware of Brown’s decision beforehand, and I would have advised against it,” wrote Baylor Fox-Kemper, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, in an email to The Herald. “I still advise against it now.”
While Brown’s emissions are a “tiny fraction” of global emissions, Fox-Kemper explained, “if everyone paused on their reduction plans, we’d miss many key climate targets.”
He believes the University will “eventually” be able to achieve its net-zero goals, but he expressed doubt that Brown will “lead in this area,” he wrote.
“It is a time that we look to leadership to steward our community through this moment,” Cobb said. “And it is my sincere hope that we can be back on a path to investing in our campus decarbonization as soon as possible.”
Samah Hamid is a senior staff writer at the Herald. She is from Sharon, Massachusetts and plans to concentrate in Biology. In her free time, you can find her taking a nap, reading, or baking a sweet treat.
