Cornell President David Skorton is "inclined" to sign a commitment obligating Cornell to institute a plan to make the campus "climate neutral." To advise him, he has formed an ad hoc committee, headed by two Cornell vice presidents, to outline what kinds of programs Cornell would need to undertake to achieve climate neutrality. The committee is to send Skorton its recommendations by Feb. 23.

To date, 66 colleges and universities have signed the agreement, but the University of Pennsylvania is the only Ivy League university committed to a climate-neutral campus.

The term climate neutral (or carbon neutral) refers to energy policies that would result in no overall emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which contribute to global warming. If Cornell followed Penn's example, it would develop a plan to become more energy efficient; use more low-emission products, such as local foods and recycled materials; produce or purchase renewable energy; plant more trees to, for example, "sequester" (remove and store) atmospheric carbon; and perhaps, purchase "carbon credits" that would allow the university to emit some greenhouse gases because of an agreement with another organization that has saved or sequestered a surplus of gases or has developed an alternative energy source.

The forming of the committee was in response to a meeting of Cornell students of KyotoNOW! with Skorton and senior administrators Feb. 9. The students requested that Cornell consider signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an initiative recently launched by Second Nature and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The meeting came on the heels of the passage of a Student Assembly resolution in favor of a renewable energy referendum that the student body will be voting on in March.

The students presented Skorton with a petition signed by more than 90 faculty members, 17 student organizations, more than 4,700 students and two departments that supported Cornell's signing of the commitment.

In a letter to the KyotoNOW! student group, Skorton said he needed the counsel of the ad hoc committee, to be headed by Stephen Golding, executive vice president for finance and administration, and Carolyn Ainslie, vice president for planning and budget, and consisting of students, staff and faculty, before he could sign the commitment.

He also wrote:

"Cornell University endorses the efforts of the students of KyotoNow! to gain support for climate neutrality at all Ivy League Institutions. In particular, we agree that universities such as Cornell have a responsibility to lead the way in reducing carbon emissions, encouraging renewable energy sources, undertaking the research to find effective solutions, educating the next generation of leaders and professionals to help society neutralize this threat and facilitating stakeholder involvement as stated in the resolution's preamble. …

"Given Cornell's history of environmental stewardship and because I believe the goals of the resolution are consistent with the goals of the university, I am inclined to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment on behalf of the university."

The ad hoc committee is also charged with establishing interim institutional goals and "a time frame that is mindful of the significant economic, legal, and logistical challenges presented by such an undertaking."

"President Skorton's decision to create the ad hoc committee is a very important first step in initiating a dialogue on campus regarding this very important public policy objective," said Golding. "Bringing together faculty, students and staff to better understand the challenges involved in achieving climate neutrality will lay the proper foundation to ensure we establish reasonable goals and objectives for this very important societal issue."

"We could not be happier with the overwhelmingly positive response we have received from the Cornell community on this issue," stated Kimberley Schroder from KyotoNOW! "People recognize the threat that global warming poses, see the pressing need for action and want Cornell to be at the forefront of the response to combat climate change."