Climate Action at Dickinson
Striving to be Carbon Neutral by 2020
Dickinson is taking action on climate change. We are working to reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that warm the planet and change the Earth’s climate. We are educating ourselves, our students and our community about climate change, its causes, consequences and solutions. We are also engaging in international climate change research and action.
The evidence is compelling. The Earth’s climate has changed in ways that cannot be explained by natural causes alone. Average temperatures have increased in recent decades, and extremes of hot weather, drought and heavy rainfalls have become more frequent. Peer-reviewed scientific studies have looked for the causes using multiple methods and types of evidence. An overwhelming majority of scientists who study the climate, and authoritative scientific organizations such as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, have concluded that humans are responsible for most of the climatic changes we are observing and that greater changes lie ahead. We have loaded the climate dice by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, setting in motion global-scale changes that will have far reaching and long-lasting consequences.
Climate Neutral by 2020:
Dickinson
has set 2020 as a target date for zero net emissions of greenhouse
gases, joining nearly 700 other colleges and universities in a
commitment to act on climate change.
Climate Action Plan (2009):
Dickinson details its plan to achieve climate neutrality in our CAP created by students, faculty, staff and administrators.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory:
We measure and publicly report our emissions of greenhouse gases.
Climate Change Education:
With support of a grant from NASA, Dickinson is integrating climate change into our liberal arts curriculum, and working with other colleges to help them do the same.