In a March 2018 strategic plan, the university committed to developing a Climate Action Plan and setting a “net neutrality date.”
Almost four years later, no plan is publicly available, even with the additional push of Gov. John Bel Edwards setting a target date of 2050 for the state to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions and President Joe Biden reentering the U.S. in the Paris Climate Accord.
The university also proposed signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2018 — only to slow-walk this promise, too. Tulane and Loyola universities are the only Louisiana institutions to sign this statement.
The first line in this commitment reads, “We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, believe firmly in the power, potential, and imperative of higher education’s key role in shaping a sustainable society.”
That statement seems like a no-brainer, and it is something the university should embrace as a core value. However, the actions of the university around sustainability, like its actions on many issues, seem motivated more by public relations problems than by care and concern for the future of this state.
The university’s participation in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s rating system yielded a lackluster silver ranking that expired nearly six months ago. The university received a score of zero in the energy category of the ranking, in part because it was listed as “not pursuing” clean and renewable energy. The university ignoring these important investments doesn’t inspire confidence in its stated goal of sustainability.
In describing the threats faced by Louisiana, the university’s strategic plan points out that climate change and the coastal land loss it exacerbates must be met with “urgency.” On the academic research front, the university does outstanding work in coastal sciences. But in actualizing that research into institutional policy, the university falls short.
Part of the university’s slow response is related to a lack of funding to complete big-ticket projects like electrifying the university’s large fleet of vehicles and pursuing more renewable energy solutions.
But still, the university has a moral obligation to this state to be a leader as the flagship university of Louisiana. Climate change has affected nearly every facet of life in this state for decades, and it’s only getting worse.
The university needs to step up and put the research of its scholars into action if Louisiana is going to have a future. Our state and university must find the resources to do these hard things, and we must find those resources now.
Charlie Stephens is a 21-year-old political communication junior from Baton Rouge.
