News-Letter

In the past month, Cornell, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania have officially adopted carbon neutrality policies. These three universities recognize the threat of global warming and have committed themselves to help set the standard for acting to address this threat. They hope their actions will encourage other institutions of higher education to join them by adopting similar policies.

Carbon neutrality refers to energy policies that effectively result in zero net emissions of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases contribute significantly to global warming; reducing these gases will help to offset the effects of global warming.

Carbon neutrality works through a combination of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, researching and utilizing renewable energy resources and offsetting whatever emissions it cannot avoid producing.

Carbon offsetting is a recent trend that involves investing in renewable energy research, planting trees and doing other environmental work, or trading an institution's excess carbon emissions with another institution's surplus to lead to a null sum.

These universities are taking responsibility for their impact on the environment and are working to neutralize those effects. The universities will reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases, cut their use of energy, use more renewable energy and emphasize the importance of sustainable energy sources.

Major national research universities are in a unique position to influence the fight against global warming because of their influence on public policy.

The University of Pennsylvania was the first Ivy League school to adopt a carbon neutrality policy. On Feb. 6, UPenn president Amy Gutmann signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. She pledged to develop a comprehensive carbon neutral plan by 2009 and to set UPenn as an example for other universities and the public.

Soon after the University of Pennsylvania's pledge to address global warming with climate neutral policies, Cornell and Brown universities set similar goals. Cornell president David Skorton worked with students and advisers to outline a plan to achieve carbon neutrality.

Like Gutmann, Skorton hopes that Cornell's commitment will encourage others to adopt similar policies; he believes it is important for Cornell to be at the forefront of finding and using sustainable energy resources.

Currently, 90 American colleges and universities have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. By signing this commitment, the universities commit themselves to pursue carbon neutrality. The commitment outlines ways to pursue carbon neutrality, including setting a timeline for schools to make comprehensive plans for carbon neutrality, explore ways to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases and plan for an increase in sustainable energy sources.

At Hopkins, a new student group, the Hopkins Energy Action Team (HEAT), is currently working to get the University to declare a policy of 100-percent carbon neutrality. HEAT is lobbying the administration to adopt Responsible Energy Policy 2015, a policy that would make the Homewood campus carbon-neutral by 2015.

HEAT is creating a coalition of student groups to help gain student support for REP 2015. The students involved in HEAT are hoping to educate others on the importance of carbon neutrality and recognizing that Hopkins needs to take action against global warming.

Global warming is changing the environment, and it is changing it quickly. Scientists have come to a consensus that global warming is a serious world concern, environmentally, economically and socially. The universities that have pledged to be carbon-neutral are recognizing the threat of global warming and showing their commitment to reversing the trend.

Hopefully other universities will follow, showing that one can run a carbon-neutral institution effectively and efficiently. Hopkins should meet that call.

— Laura Perazzoli is a sophomore Writing Seminars major from Redmond, Wash. She is a member of the Hopkins Energy Action Team.

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