Climate Action Plan

March 14, 2012

In February 2010, Principal Woolf signed the University and College Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada. This pledge commits the university to engage in activities aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing research and curriculum in the areas of climate change and sustainability. It also requires development of a comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CAP). Specific commitments include:

• demonstratingleadership by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases;
• developing measurable targets using research and science;
• developing achievable and practical plans to achieve reduction targets;
• implementing rigorous assessment and measurement procedures; and,
• being transparent and accountable for our actions.

An internal Climate Action Plan Advisory Committee is working collaboratively on evaluating, planning, developing and implementing the CAP. The 22 membercommittee includes students, staff and faculty representing a wide range of our community.  Working groups are supporting the objectives of the CAP Advisory Committee in the following areas:

• GHG reduction strategies;
• communications and stakeholder engagement;
• curriculum and research integration; and,
• implementation.

Each working group includes members from the CAP Advisory Committee and other Queen's community members based on need and required expertise.

Work on CAP development and setting climate action targets is a multi-step process involving:

• Mitigation Options: Exploration of potential GHG mitigation options.
• Cost:Costing out various GHG mitigation options.
• Evaluation Criteria:Defining evaluation criteria (e.g., economic, educational/pedagogical, social/community benefits) to assess GHG mitigation options.
• Prioritization:Ranking of GHG mitigation options.
• Targets and Times:Setting targets and timelines for implementing GHG reduction strategies.
• Implementation:  Implementing the strategic priorities identified supported by the Queen's community. 

We are proud of Queen's record on climate action and sustainability to date. A few of the initiatives the university has already undertaken include:

• GHG Inventory: Quantified Queen's Greenhouse Gas emissions since 2008
• Transportation: Queen's Action for Active Transportation, Bus-It Transit Pass for Students, Carpooling Program
• Energy Efficiency Project:  Energy-conserving operations in buildings and infrastructure
• Queen's Sustainability Trust:  Funds used to support sustainability initiatives on Campus
• Academic and Research Initiatives:Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy,Energy and Power Electronics Applied Research Laboratory, Fuel Cell Research Centre, GreenCentre Canada,   Solar Calorimetry Lab, BIOCAP Canada Foundation, Sustainable Bio-Economy Centre, and Applied Sustainability Research Group.

Over the next six months, the Sustainability Office and the advisory committee aim to keep you informed of Climate Action Plan developments and to solicit your feedback on CAP mitigation/target options at certain milestones via emails, our Climate Action Plan website and Facebook page, community forums, special events with key stakeholder groups, and online campus-wide surveys.

The first Community Forum is Monday, March 26th, 2012, in Wallace Hall (JDUC), from noon to 1 pm.  The forum will aim at raising awareness about the Climate Action Plan, generating ideas/solutions, and seeking input into evaluating mitigation options, including assessment criteria and ranking.  

For more information please see the Climate Action Plan website or contact Aaron Ball.