College of the Atlantic's Carbon Net-Zero Policy
& Global Climate Change

Read the press release we issued about our net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Read our net-zero proclamation.
Read about our carbon-net zero decision in Insidehighered.com

Climate Change
The Earth is warming. The 1990s were the warmest decade on record so far, and 2006 was the hottest on record in the continental United States. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international body of leading scientists, "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.

Climate change is real. It is threatening the way we live and the world that sustains us. And human beings are the cause. The United States is the major source of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Though only 5 percent of the world's population lives in the United States, we release 25 percent of the world's greenhouse gases.

The Problem
The "greenhouse effect, caused by atmospheric gases, is key to making the Earth habitable by humans. For millennia, these gases have fostered life by absorbing and reflecting the planet's heat back to Earth.

Over the last 200 years, fossil fuels have become an integral part of most of our lives. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased, skyrocketing in the last 50 years in proportion to our reliance on fossil fuels, overwhelming the systems that had previously absorbed or released any extra gases. These gases now accumulate in our atmosphere, reflecting greater amounts of solar radiation back to Earth's surface. The result is warmer temperatures, changing weather and ocean patterns, and stressed natural systems around the world.

Human actions have caused this situation. Only human action can alleviate the consequences.

Facing Responsibility
There is scientific consensus that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 80 percent by 2050 to prevent the worst consequences of global warming.

College of the Atlantic believes that to achieve this difficult task we must begin now. On October 6, 2006, the Trustees of College of the Atlantic declared COA to be a net-zero carbon campus. We will do whatever is necessary to avoid and reduce emissions. For those emissions we cannot avoid or reduce directly, we will-by the end of 2007-fully offset our contributions to the warming of the planet by investing in quantifiable and verifiable emissions reductions elsewhere.

COA also believes that colleges and universities, as intellectual leaders, must stand at the forefront of moving thought to action.

We must show how our nation can reduce carbon emissions and limit the impact of those emissions that cannot be reduced.

College of the Atlantic is the first U.S. college or university to commit to implementing a complete and verifiable Net-Zero carbon emissions program.

The Challenge of our Times
Business as usual will not provide a secure, affordable and reliable source of energy to the nation. American institutions of higher education have a responsibility to become leaders in shifting away from a fossil fuel energy base to one that is renewable.
~David Hales
President, College of the Atlantic

College of the Atlantic's net-zero carbon emissions plan is scientifically sound, simple to understand and straightforward to implement. It just requires a commitment to a sustainable future, and I am very proud of the trustees and the college for their leadership in setting such a strong example...Perhaps the most important aspect of this commitment is that it can be matched by every person and institution in the world.
~Dr. Rajendra Pachauri
Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations agency investigating the risks of human-induced climate change

Students Speak Out
Global warming affects everyone and everything, old and young, poor and rich, human and non-human. While government officials and scientists are still trying to decide if global warming is actually happening, College of the Atlantic is jumping into the effort with two feet. The Net-Zero initiative is an opportunity to make a difference in reducing COA's footprint on the earth. It is also a chance for us to educate other institutions, individuals and organizations on how they can reduce the effects of global warming. I am thrilled to be part an institution that is striving to make a powerful impact on the global warming movement.
~Sarah Short, COA class of 2009

Climate change is the challenge of our times, and we must act now to reverse the potential impacts of our reckless behavior. As a student committed to minimizing the extent of human influence on climate change, I am extremely proud to see COA take the steps to not only educate us on how to effectively confront these issues, but to put in practice what we preach-taking care of our ecological footprint is the most ethical and responsible thing we can do.
~Juan Hoffmaister, COA class of 2007

What You Can Do