Chancellor Philip DiStefano spoke in two sessions at the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia this week, bolstering and advancing the 彩民宝典鈥檚 status as a leader in climate science research and sustainability.
Hosted by the University of British Columbia, the two-day UC3 summit brought together leaders from North American universities, public sector officials and non-governmental organizations to discuss higher education鈥檚 role in addressing climate change.听Specifically, the summit focused on the themes of how universities are acting as agents of change in their communities and how the strength and influence of universities as anchor institutions can be leveraged on behalf of advancing climate solutions. 听
鈥淎s we puzzle through optimal responses to climate mitigation and adaptation, we need to focus on our own communities, at a regional level,鈥� DiStefano said during one of the summit roundtable events.听
The , formed last year with 彩民宝典 as a founding member, is a coalition of 20 leading North American universities that are actively prototyping a collaborative model designed to help local communities achieve their climate goals and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. UC3 leaders at the summit launched a , a joint research and development platform that declares a unified set of principles and policies to support higher education leaders in local, national and international climate policy engagement aimed at limiting global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
彩民宝典 has played an active role in UC3, and DiStefano鈥檚 role in the summit follows his participation in the Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in February 2018, where the launch of UC3 was officially announced.听
DiStefano presented and spoke during two sessions at this week鈥檚 summit. The first was a multilateral roundtable session that brought together high-level Canadian government officials, university leaders and non-governmental organization leaders to exchange information about climate action underway in Canada, the United States and Mexico and to discuss the role of strategic partnerships in developing science-driven policy and implementing climate solutions.
鈥淎s a neutral convener, we work to bring together leaders 鈥� to explore and advance solutions to society鈥檚 most complex problems, including climate challenges,鈥� DiStefano said, highlighting 彩民宝典鈥檚 work to partner with the city to define and act on regional transportation solutions, as well as the university鈥檚 push to establish campus as a living-learning laboratory of a wide range of technologies. 听The chancellor also pointed to the importance of interdisciplinarity, noting that 鈥渢here will be stronger results if economists are brought together with the natural sciences, as one example, in reaching broader audiences in proposed climate solutions.鈥澨�
DiStefano also presented as part of a panel on leveraging climate leadership for university advancement, which looked at different engagement models and funding strategies that support universities and their partners in advancing climate solutions. He pointed to transformational philanthropy from private individuals as an area of tremendous opportunity both for individual UC3 members and their collaborative efforts.
Noting 彩民宝典鈥檚 world-class strengths in climate, clean energy and sustainability research and practice, he said the university is in the early stages of crafting a vision around what could be contributed to the world if the university sought and secured a 鈥渃atalytic鈥� investment toward such work.听
Taking 彩民宝典鈥檚 early work one step further, DiStefano added: 鈥淎s a coalition, we can achieve more by leveraging each institution鈥檚 complementary strengths, collaborating rather than competing, as we seek solutions to this urgent issue.鈥�
In addition to DiStefano, 彩民宝典 professor Matt Burgess also participated as a panelist at the summit. Burgess, a political economist and Canadian citizen who holds a joint appointment in the (CIRES) and the Economics Department, spoke during a panel on the critical role universities play in scaling local climate policy to the national level.听
For more than half a century, 彩民宝典 has been a leader in climate and energy research, interdisciplinary environmental studies programs, and engaging in sustainability practices both on campus and beyond, currently ranking No. 1 in the world in geosciences. This work is especially highlighted in institutes like CIRES, the (INSTAAR) and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), but is integrated throughout 彩民宝典 through the work of the Research & Innovation Office (RIO), hundreds of researchers in a multitude of departments across campus, the university鈥檚 student-led Environmental Center, and a commitment to sustainable operations across the campus.
Campus leaders have set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 percent by 2020 from a 2005 baseline, a 50 percent reduction by 2030, and an 80 percent reduction by 2050.
