We base this emergency declaration on
- The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5C and evidence therein that a clear disproportionate burden of climate change impacts the most vulnerable members of societies
- Unprecedented acceleration of atmospheric carbon levels that as of May 2019 are measured at 415 parts per million
- Local community, health, environmental, and economic risk associated with hotter summers, declining air quality, diminished biodiversity, extreme weather and changes in precipitation trends, sea level rise and acidification, drought, and other manifestations of climate change
Building upon a decade of participation in the Climate Leadership Commitment for colleges and universities, today, May 30, 2019, Southern Connecticut State University declares a climate emergency.
After a decade of prioritizing climate leadership, SCSU is proud of its longstanding commitment to climate action, including:
- Installation of a 1MW solar array on the west side of campus, and the development of a further 1MW of solar power on the East Campus
- LEED Gold certification for the Academic Science and Laboratory Building
- A four-year contract to procure 100 percent Green-e certified electricity, 2018-22
- Extensive energy efficiency and waste reduction throughout campus, including commercial-scale composting of food scrap
- 2018 launch of an undergraduate major in Environmental Systems and Sustainability
- Endowed interdisciplinary research on climate and coastal resilience at the Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies
- Designing a new $48 million net-zero emissions School of Business building that will generate all of its energy and power needs through sustainable technologies
Through this emergency declaration, SCSU also recognizes the need to accelerate both pace and scale of our efforts, and a need for more unified and collective action to address the climate crisis. SCSU pledges to:
- Maintain our commitment to become carbon neutral and accelerate outcomes of the Climate Leadership Commitment and We Are Still in Declaration
- Expand research to advance climate action and resilience as part of a broader community
- Align SCSU climate action with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Expand university partnerships with business and industry; local, state, and federal agencies; community organizations; and other institutions of higher education to advance climate and sustainability goals
- Expand collaboration with local and regional communities to enhance resilience from climate impacts
- Galvanize inclusive, equitable participation in climate action across all sectors of the SCSU community, and allow citizen assemblies to support the direction of our climate actions
- Expand and participate in open-source platforms and networks that support rapid interdisciplinary innovation to meet challenges of the changing climate
- Create and maintain a roadmap projecting where and how the campus becomes carbon neutral
