Carbon Reduction

The issue of global climate change is likely to be one of the most profound challenges yet faced by humanity.  More poignant is that the horizon to seriously address the catastrophic risks lies during our tenure as leaders.  As the body of science expands the evidence grows more solid that individuals and institutions must reduce their CO2 emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and ultimately to within levels that the biosphere has capacity to sequester. The evidence of climate change include:

• Eleven of the last 12 years rank among the 12 hottest years on record (since 1850, when sufficient worldwide temperature measurements began).
• Over the last 50 years, "cold days, cold nights, and frost have become less frequent, while hot days, hot nights, and heat waves have become more frequent."
• Since 1900 the Northern Hemisphere has lost seven percent of the maximum area covered by seasonally frozen ground.
• Mountain glaciers and snow cover have declined worldwide.
• Satellite data since 1978 show that the extent of Arctic sea ice during the summer has shrunk by more than 20 percent.

Source: Findings of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change Science. Here's a summary of the findings.

Current Situation at Dartmouth College

At Dartmouth College carbon emissions from heating fuel and purchased electricity have increased by 66 percent from 109.3 Million lbs. per year in 1990 to 164.8 Million lbs. in 2005. Despite conservation efforts, carbon growth outpaced USA GDP growth between 1990 and 2005 (61 percent).
The Kyoto protocol targets (seven percent below 1990 levels by 2012) for Dartmouth College is 101.6 Million lbs.

The research conducted by DSI suggests that Dartmouth could reduce carbon emissions by employing diverse inter-dependent strategies. The reduction strategies would include a detailed focus upon conservation, enhanced performance and management of buildings and systems, procurement of cleaner fuels and lower impact commodities and services, development of on-site renewable energy, reducing waste and managing lands for ecosystem services. 
Reducing green house gas emissions can provide monetary savings from saved energy. For example, recent quotes for solar thermal systems at Dartmouth indicate that immediate positive cash-flows with no capital expenditures are possible on leased systems which can be used for space heating, cooling, domestic hot water, providing make-up water for the boilers, making and grooming ice and heating pools.

Dartmouth has established an Energy Task Force.