Goals

Primary Climate Action Goals

Goal 1: Carbon Neutral by

2023

Become carbon neutral by 2040 and carbon-negative -- removing more greenhouse gases than we are putting into the atmosphere -- no later than the university's 275th anniversary in 2041.

Goal 2: Just Equitable Adapation

Work across campus and engage with our host communities to establish comprehensive plans for just and equitable climate adaptation.

Goal 3: Culture of Sustainability

Build a culture of sustainability that integrates climate action into academic research, teaching, outreach, engagement, campus life, and university policy across Rutgers' campuses.

In service of these long-term goals, the co-chairs of the Climate Action Groups (CAGs) and the Rutgers Executive Vice Presidents co-developed the following university-wide priorities for the 2023-24 academic year. To learn more about CAG-specific goals, explore the Climate Action Groups.

Federal legislation has generated multi-billion-dollar funding opportunities for climate action through vehicles such as the Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The complexity of the opportunities coupled with the complexity of Rutgers makes it difficult to take action. Rutgers will expand capacity for targeted coordination, preparation, and attention to take advantage of this funding.

Monitoring and reporting progress toward climate goals is one of the primary functions of the OCA. Internal and external stakeholders alike have long expressed a desire for increased data transparency. In response to both needs, OCA is establishing a suite of public-facing dashboards in Tableau. Knowledge gained during the AASHE STARS reporting process will be used to create durable systems of data governance for sustainability metrics that do not rely on information held by individuals.

The chancellor unit climate action groups, who are tasked with building a culture of sustainability in their units, have identified a need for strategic, university-wide communications support focusing on climate action and sustainability. University-wide branding and language around climate action would help build a coherent narrative around Rutgers’ commitment to climate action that is legible to all Rutgers community members. There is also a need to expand and coordinate reporting on under-communicated sustainability successes across Rutgers.