Climate change is, as Tufts Alum and Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson told Tufts students in April, "The most important issue that will face you as adults." Climate change is also a good example of failed international negotiation. Countries are bickering over what actions need to be taken to reduce the threat posed by global warming.
Set against this backdrop of inactivity, Tufts is poised to lead the way towards a cooler future.
The University formally took the initiative last month, when Tufts hosted a conference on the issue, featuring a diverse cross-section of academics, industry representatives, and local politicians.
At the meeting, University President John DiBiaggio committed Tufts to "meeting or beating" the carbon dioxide emissions reductions called for by the Kyoto Protocol, in which all countries that signed agreed to varying emissions levels. The Protocol was signed in 1997, but a number of countries, including the United States are refusing to put the treaty into law, primarily for political reasons.
"Despite Congressional opposition, the US will ultimately have to join the rest of the world in tackling the potentially catastrophic problem of global warming," journalist Ross Gelbspan wrote (Boston Globe, 5/16).
According to Peter Christianson, Director of Environmental Programs for the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), climate change has created political tension between nations. Christianson explained that powerful nations such as the United States are quarreling with the developing world over emissions reductions and other necessary greenhouse-gas reducing measures. Most countries agree that climate change needs to be addressed, but no one is sure what to do about it.
The Tufts Climate Initiative seeks to break the stalemate by spurring grassroots participation of other universities and municipalities. The goal of the Climate Initiative is to prove that emissions reductions are economically feasible and can be accomplished independent of international agreements.
Tufts will be looking at its three campuses to determine ways to reduce emissions; a baseline of emissions has been established by the University.
Christianson cited the renovations to the Tufts Medical School campus in Boston as an example of the savings that can be realized through efficient energy practices. He said the renovated building will feature a state of the art heating system. "Savings over the current mode are so significant that its going to pay for building the building," Christianson said.
DiBiaggio said the savings will be "over $1 million in energy costs annually.
"Our facilities managers and students have already begun to identify opportunities to lower our emissions through improved operations, retrofitting of existing buildings, and fuel switching," DiBiaggio said.
DiBiaggio also announced the installation of solar power in some of the new constructions. According to Christianson, two solar power projects exist involving off-campus Tufts buildings in Medford which he said could potentially cover their costs through energy savings.
The Tufts Climate Initiative will put Tufts in the driver's seat of an evolving political and environmental process. The University will be reaching out to other colleges in an effort to convince them to emulate Tufts' actions. So far, Christianson said that Middlebury College has expressed interest, among others.
If successful, the Tufts Climate Initiative could prove to be a pivotal catalyst to government action on climate change. By proving that mitigating climate change is economically feasible, and even profitable, Tufts can help to end the government inertia.
"Once you get examples like [the Medical School building] you can't say no," Christianson said. "We have the power of economics on our side... maybe we'll shame the policy-makers into supporting it because it's definitely going to work," he said.
The Tufts Climate Initiative began this past fall when Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Professor and Director of TIE William Moomaw met with Tufts administrators and convinced them that "by committing to this we could set an example and save money."
The Initiative is also drawing praise for the University. An April 24 editorial in the Boston Globe applauded the Tufts approach: "Participants in the Tufts conference... will begin acting right away on the premise that reducing greenhouse gases can be not only healthy for humanity but also cost-effective."
The Climate Initiative features partnerships between Tufts and other industrial actors. "Tufts is looking for partnerships with utilities, corporations, and other organizations to find better and more cost effective ways to reduce our energy use and emissions," DiBiaggio said.
According to TIE literature, "The plan will not only engage facilities managers, but will also create innovative, interdisciplinary, educational and research opportunities for students and faculty."
