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Carbon Neutrality

The University of Michigan is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions university-wide.

FY22 Climate Action Report

Moving plans forward for renewable purchased electricity, widespread geo-exchange heating and cooling systems, innovative financing mechanisms and more.

Read the report

Commitments

  • Carbon Neutrality

    • 2025 — reduce emissions from purchased power (Scope 2) to net-zero.
    • 2040 — eliminate direct, on-campus greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1).
    • 2025 — establish goals for a wide range of indirect emission sources (Scope 3).
    • Foster a university-wide culture of sustainability, with justice as a core principle.
  • Sustainable Investing

    • Discontinued direct investments in companies that are the largest contributors to greenhouse gases, and new investments in funds whose primary focus is oil reserves, oil extraction, or thermal coal extraction.
    • Shifted natural resource investments to renewable energy, low-carbon fuel and other investments to help build a sustainable economy.
    • Pursuing a net-zero endowment by 2050.

U-M efforts align with UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidance:

  • U-M is on pace to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2025, which exceeds the IPCC's guidance to reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2030.
  • U-M committed to eliminate 100 percent of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 — ten years ahead of the IPCC's global net-zero target.

For more up-to-date information on how U-M is progressing toward carbon neutrality, visit the Priorities & Progress page.

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Contact

Drew Horning serves as special advisor to the president for carbon neutrality strategy, with responsibility for leading and coordinating the university's efforts to proactively address climate change. Contact Drew at ahorning@umich.edu.

Learn More

Visit the Priorities & Progress page for more details on a number of current efforts. Or, for analysis that informs U-M carbon neutrality work going forward, read the President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality's final report and internal analysis team reports.

View Additional Environmental and Energy Data