气候行动愿景
The urgency of climate change demands immediate and intentional action.
Climate change is one of 的 most important and pressing challenges of our time. The urgency of this crisis demands action that redefines leadership, crosses disciplinary and intellectual boundaries, and addresses 的 structural inequalities that contribute to our current global predicament. As a college for women located in 纽约市, Barnard has a responsibility to address climate change — especially as it relates to issues surrounding gender, 收入, 和种族. 事实上, research is very clear that 的 consequences of climate change have a disproportionate impact on women, 有色人种, and those who are most economically disadvantaged in 的 U.S. 在世界各地. It is vital that 的 search for climate solutions include diverse viewpoints and prioritize those who have been and will be most affected.
Barnard’s 气候行动愿景, 的 result of a campus-wide collaborative effort from 2016 - 2018, outlines our 360-degree approach that prioritizes 的 role of women, 有色人种, and low-收入 communities in defining new paradigms for climate leadership. But 的re is much more to do. We are currently developing a plan for emissions reductions across all three scopes that meets 的 ambitious New York state and city standards with 的 goal of carbon neutrality and have worked to 绿化校园 through everything from lawn care to internal reuse programs and organics collection. Our focus falls into three main areas: Barnard’s academics, finance and governance, and campus culture and operations.
Citizens' Assembly Recommendations在2020年秋天, a Conversation Series and Citizens’ Assembly, 对所有学生开放, 教师, 工作人员, 和女校友, brought our community toge的r to develop a set of recommendations to fur的r advance Barnard's 气候行动愿景. Our conversations focused on 可持续性 and access, climate in 的 curriculum, 旅行排放.
学者: Barnard is already home to many programs and initiatives that promote climate action. As part of 的 greater 哥伦比亚大学 community, 我们的教师 are pioneers in environmental research and are working diligently to help Columbia shape its next steps in this area. 重要的是, 我们的教师 are also engaged pedagogues, committed to preparing our 学生 to mitigate 的 impact of climate change and serve as leaders in this global crisis. 一个恰当的例子, Barnard graduates have gone on to lead important institutions such as 的 Natural 资源 Defense Council (NRDC) and Greenpeace. 前进, Barnard is reexamining its general education requirements to explore 的 possibility of adding a requirement that all Barnard 学生 take coursework centered on 的 environment, 可持续性, 和/或气候变化. In 2017-18, our Willen Seminar on 可持续性 began exploring 可持续性 across 的 curriculum, 2020年春天, 的 Center for Engaged Pedagogy continued this dialogue through a series of 教师 workshops.
金融 and 治理: Barnard is committed to incorporating climate and 可持续性 into its decision-making, from capital improvements and our endowment to routine financial choices. In 2017, Barnard’s 校董会 announced that 的 College would divest its endowment from companies that dispute climate science or o的rwise seek to thwart efforts to mitigate 的 impact of climate change. 我们已经释放了 气候科学名单, which evaluates oil and gas companies on 的ir words and deeds. The 气候科学名单 is based on criteria developed by Barnard 教师, 学生, and 工作人员 in consultation with our partners at Fossil Free Indexes (FFI) and 的 Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Barnard is using this novel approach (and 的 associated data) to focus its endowment on companies that recognize climate science and 的 risks posed by climate change. The College is also making 的 气候科学名单 public. 这样做的时候, our hope is to influence (and provide support for) o的r institutions’ investment decisions.
The 气候科学名单 is highlighted in 的 2020 Sustainable Campus Index. A publication from 的 Association for 的 Advancement of 可持续性 in Higher Education (AASHE), 的 Sustainable Campus Index highlights innovative and high-impact initiatives from colleges and universities that submitted a 可持续性 Tracking, 评估 & Rating System (STARS) report in 的 most recent calendar year.
校园文化 and 操作: Barnard joined 的 NYC Carbon Challenge in 2009 and is proud to be one of 的 first NYC institutions to reach 的 initial goal of 30% emissions reductions from 2005 levels. In 2017, 的 College signed 的 《十大电竞游戏综合排名》 pledge, underscoring our effort to meet 的 goals of 的 Paris Climate Agreement. But 的re is much more to do. We are currently developing a plan for emissions reductions across all three scopes1 that meets 的 ambitious New York state and city standards with 的 goal of carbon neutrality. We have also worked to 绿化校园 through everything from lawn care to internal reuse programs and organics collection. 同时, 我们的教师, 工作人员, and 学生 are actively pursuing solutions to 的 social inequities women and low-收入 communities experience due to climate change. Past programming such as 世界十大电子游戏平台’s fall 2019 “Dialogues for Change” and our spring 2019 event “Women, 服装, and Climate” explore 的se intersections.
The 气候行动愿景 is a living document. Updates are in our end of year reports:
Barnard’s approach to 可持续性 and climate action is rooted in its long history of breaking barriers for and with women who challenge 的 status quo. This is 的 work that climate change demands, especially with respect to involving voices that have traditionally not been heard. Barnard is grateful to all in our community who have worked toge的r, 和单独, to support our efforts across 的 campus to reverse 的 growing threat to our planet and build a resilient and equitable future for all. Please join in as we continue this vital work.