Princeton reaffirms climate pledge

By the Office of Communications on June 5, 2017, 1:45 p.m.

In 2015, Princeton University issued the statement below to express the hope that the then-upcoming United Nations Climate Negotiations in Paris would “lead to significant progress in promoting clean energy and other positive actions to address the environmental impacts of climate change.” The statement described Princeton’s leadership role in research and teaching focused on energy, sustainability, and the environment, and in developing and implementing high standards of sustainability in its campus operations.

Princeton welcomed and continues to support the action that was taken in Paris in December 2015 under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and it reaffirms the commitments it made in its 2015 statement.

2015 Statement

Princeton joins other universities in hoping that the upcoming United Nations Climate Negotiations in Paris will lead to significant progress in promoting clean energy and other positive actions to address the environmental impacts of climate change. Through research, scholarship and teaching, universities play a critical role in developing sustainable solutions in a context of growing energy demands, and in the last decade, Princeton has demonstrated an increased commitment to this important work. Universities also can play a leadership role in developing and implementing sustainable solutions for their own campus operations. Princeton pledges to sustain and enhance its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, achieve greater resource conservation, reduce waste, and accomplish the other ambitious goals of its comprehensive sustainability plan.

Princeton’s leadership on these issues is well-established:

Princeton is an acknowledged leader in research and teaching programs focused on energy, sustainability, and the environment.

  • Princeton continues to foster faculty commitment to globally significant disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research, as well as exemplary teaching and campus-as-laboratory engagement.
  • Princeton is an international example of innovation in efficient campus energy systems.
  • Princeton is utilizing strict energy efficiency guidelines for new buildings, major renovations, and existing infrastructure.
  • Princeton’s campus planning process is promoting comprehensive sustainability as a core planning principle.

 

 

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