Phase III Summary: As the feasibility and impact of additional campus-wide energy efficiency investments decreases, and the Scope 2 electrical footprint is offset through off-site renewable energy, it will be necessary to offset the remainder of the university’s Scope 1 GHG emissions footprint to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The university’s most conservative estimate indicates that once Sebree Solar II is online, Wake Forest will have approximately 25%, or 14,057 MTCO2e, of its GHG emissions footprint remaining to offset.
Carbon offsets are calculations of an activity’s additional ability to reduce or sequester carbon emissions beyond business as usual. Common offset activities may include urban tree planting initiatives, reforestation efforts, methane capture from landfills or animal manure, and renewable energy generation. Each activity must meet a verifiable calculation protocol. In recent years, a number of offset organizations catering to the world’s largest organizations, have been criticized for producing offsets with no real value to the environment or proof of offsetting emissions.
It is important to note that not all offset projects have the same immediate impact. For example, reforesting a cleared forest may take years for the newly-planted trees to draw significant CO2 out of the atmosphere. That does not mean it is an unworthy act; its protocols and life-span simply must be evaluated when considered as a carbon offset. This is why each offset project must be created with careful consideration, verifiable protocols, and an evaluation tool to effectively measure a project’s impact over time.
Wake Forest is committed to exploring opportunities to generate a portfolio of projects through faculty research where possible. For example, university administrators have been working with faculty and colleagues affiliated with CINCIA, the university’s research center in the Peruvian Amazon, on ways to develop novel offsets that protect intact forests. The co-benefits of ecosystem protection in this type of offset far exceed carbon sequestration alone.