This 2024 Update on the University’s Climate Action Plan spans 15 years of planning, execution, and measurement. It is the result of leadership, collaboration, investment, and celebration at each milestone.
Wake Forest University began tracking Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in 2010 and chose FY07 as a baseline year for reductions.
Scope 1 includes on-site generation sources, including combustion of fossil fuels (natural gas, fuel oil, fleet fuel), refrigerants, and fertilizer application. In FY23, Scope 1 emissions constituted 42% of the GHG emissions footprint.
Scope 2 includes purchased electricity from Duke Energy to power our campus’ electric needs. In FY23, Scope 2 emissions constituted 53% of the GHG emissions footprint.
The path to date has followed a three-phased Climate Action Strategy.
Phase I – Reduce: Reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency measures, building renewal, and a commitment to adaptive reuse has had a significant impact on the university’s path to neutrality. From an FY07 baseline, the in-house Utilities Operations team in Facilities & Campus Services achieved a 46% reduction in total GHGs from operations by the close of FY23, even as the campus footprint grew by 56% over that same timeframe. Continued investment and assessment of areas for improvement in the efficiency of our operations is ongoing.
Phase II – Replace: Over half of the university’s GHG emissions footprint comes from purchased electricity to power campus operations. Strategies to support the switch to renewable energy have included advocating for renewables in Duke Energy’s generation mix, exploring opportunities for on-site solar, and investing in large-scale offsite renewable energy. On Earth Day 2024, the university announced an ambitious plan to offset 100% of the university’s projected annual electricity demand by 2026.
Phase III – Offset: Following Phases I and II, an estimated 25% of Wake Forest’s overall GHG emissions footprint will remain. The university will need to develop an offset portfolio that is verifiable, transparent, permanent, and creates additionality. Ideally, these offsets would be generated in concert with university faculty research here and abroad. Opportunities include renewable energy technologies, carbon sequestration from soil remediation, and forest protection offsets.
Although mitigating GHGs today will help limit the future effects of global climate change, we are already experiencing its impacts, including increased frequency and severity of storms, drought, and extreme heat. University administrators plan to develop adaptation and resilience strategies to complement this climate action plan and to bolster Wake Forest’s preparedness for current and future climate change-induced threats to infrastructure and human health.