Can Duke University Achieve Goals?

There are many people at Duke who have great concern for environmental causes. But let us not forget that just like most other colleges, environmental stewardship is not found in its mission statement. Its primary reason for pursuing any environmental mission is to improve public relations, therefore increasing enrollment, and thereby achieving its mission.

Background: In 2007 Duke President Richard Brodhead signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment which requires that signatories;

"Within two years of signing this document, develop an institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral."

But, as Duke's sustainability coordinator has pointed out, timetables are adjusted based on more than just good intentions.

"The hope is that we can eventually get off of fossil fuels," she said. "We're looking at it in the next five to 10 years, depending on the economic environment."

At the extremes of the two basic approaches to achieving so-called carbon neutrality we have:

1. Business as usual, but in 2020 purchase or produce carbon offset products equal to carbon emissions of your business
2. Modify business operations to become carbon neutral without carbon offset credits.
   

I strongly favor the latter. It can be argued that the concept of carbon offsets do not result in equivalent carbon emissions reductions. To explain, take the simple case of Duke and wind power. Duke could proceed "business as usual" and increase energy consumption until 2020, at which time they might possibly purchase carbon offsets from wind projects through TerraPass, basically providing a subsidy to wind farms. We need wind power to be competitive, not subsidized. Such a measure does not take one CO2 emitting power generation facility off the grid, it just supports energy consumption intensive habits. It would be more appropriate for Duke to either reduce energy consumption (thus lowering the demand for electricity produced by CO2 emitting facilities) or to purchase wind power as their source of electricity through NC GreenPower (thus increasing wind power pricing and making it a competitive investment for power companies). If everyone demanded 100% wind power I guarantee we'd have it in less than 10 years.

None-the-less, Duke's first move is to reopen the East Campus energy facility with upgrades, allowing the closure of the existing coal-fired unit.

"When we finally get rid of all that coal and the ash that goes along with it... hopefully, it will be a simpler, more streamlined process to make the steam. It'll definitely be cleaner."said Steam System Manager John Fidgeon.

The old coal delivery railway is coincidentally in the way of the proposed hospital expansion.

Oberlin College, in their Climate Committment Action Plan, has concluded that a similar "low-hanging fruit" approach at their institution would result in carbon reductions of around 50%, while only an "aggressive" approach will be able to reduce carbon emissions to 0% by 2020. Thus we see that Duke has made their decision, they will fall somewhere between the two extremes. Nicholas School of Environment Dean Bill Chameides understands this logic and is honest that Duke intends to become neutral by "buying" carbon credits.

"We can, for example, pay hog farmers in North Carolina to use technology that captures methane, a powerful greenhouse gas and a by-product of the breakdown of manure. By paying the farmer to capture the methane before it escaped to the atmosphere, Duke would own those negative greenhouse gas emissions, or offsets, which could then be used to negate an equivalent amount of CO2 Duke put in the atmosphere."

This example makes much more sense than the wind example, as methane has 23 times the Global Warming Potential as does the CO2 resulting from the combustion of that methane. It is interesting to note that Oberlin's Plan also concluded that although the upfront cost of the "aggressive" approach are significantly higher, their is the potential that it will be a lower cost approach if carbon offset prices increase dramatically as more institutions seek carbon neutrality.

We will have to wait and see what the Duke Action Plan recommends. I wonder if they can get carbon offset credits for educating the next generation of energy conservationists?

We're Watching

Yes, we're keeping an eye out for environmental concerns in the Bull City and surrounding areas.

Thanks for visiting and keep Durham beautiful.

BCEW Terms of Use

By reading this blog you agree to these terms and conditions

BullCity Enviro Watch(aka "BCEW", "We", "blogger") is an opinion blog (the “Service”) which we offer to you subject to these terms and conditions of use (“Terms”). By accessing, viewing, creating or contributing to BCEW and in consideration for the Services we provide to you, you agree to abide by these Terms. Please read them carefully before accessing, viewing, creating or posting to the blog

1. Webblog Host
This webblog is dedicated to providing general information which is of interest to our readers. The opinions expressed on this webblog are the opinions of the individual contributors.

2. Rights in the Content You Submit
Any and all works of authorship copyrightable by you and posted by you to this webblog (“Content”) are submitted under these Terms. By posting your Content using the Services, you are granting the BCEW a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and worldwide license to use your Content in connection with the operation of the Services, including, without limitation, the license rights to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate and reformat your Content, and/or to incorporate it into a collective work.


Attribution
When publicly displaying, publicly performing, reproducing or distributing copies of your Content, or Content as incorporated into a collective work, we will make best efforts to credit your authorship. You grant BCEW permission to use your name for such attribution purposes. You, likewise, agree to represent yourself accurately. You acknowledge that misrepresentation may lead us, in our sole discretion, to cancel your use of the Services and delete any of your Content.

3. Conduct
Posting
As a general matter, you may post content or responses to content in a blog freely, so long as the content of such post is not illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing of intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable. However, we reserve the absolute right to edit content. We may also determine not to post content if we determine that such content is not in the best interest of the blog or for any other reason.
You may not use the BCEW name to endorse or promote any product, opinion, cause or political candidate. Representation of your personal opinions as institutionally endorsed by the blog is strictly prohibited.


By posting content or response to content in any blog, you warrant and represent that you either own or otherwise control all of the rights to that content, including, without limitation, all the rights necessary for you to provide, post, upload, input or submit the content, or that your use of the content is a protected fair use. You agree that you will not knowingly and with intent to defraud provide material and misleading false information. You represent and warrant also that the content you supply does not violate these Terms, and that you will indemnify and hold us harmless for any and all claims resulting from content you supply.


Accessing
You understand that all content posted to this webblog is the sole responsibility of the individual who originally posted the content. You understand, also, that all opinions expressed by users of this site are expressed strictly in their individual capacities.


You agree that BCEW will not be liable, under any circumstances and in any way, for any errors or omissions, loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of use of any content posted on this site. You agree that you must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content.

4. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability
This site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the site’s operation or the information, content or materials included on this site. Information appearing in the content or materials included on this site is general information only. It is not meant to be, nor should it be considered as constituting legal or other professional advice. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, We hereby disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. We will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of or inability to use this site. You expressly agree that you use this site solely at your own risk. Links to external sources are provided solely as a courtesy to our webblog visitors. We are not responsible for and do not endorse or warrant in any way any materials, information, goods or services available through such linked sites or any privacy or other practices of such sites.

5. Privacy Policy
We won't knowingly share user details with anyone.

6. Modifications of These Terms of Use
We reserves the right to change, at any time, at our sole discretion, the Terms under which these Services are offered. You are responsible for regularly reviewing these Terms. Your continued use of the Services constitutes your agreement to all such Terms.

7. Copyright Complaints
BCEW respects the intellectual property of others, and requires that our users do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied and is accessible on this site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please contact ecodurham@gmail.com

8. Defamation Disclaimer

BCEW cannot accept responsibility or liability (express or implied, contractual, tortious or otherwise) for any material contributed to this website. The views and opinions expressed by any contributor to this page are not necessarily those of the blog or blogger. BCEW is a 100% personal-opinions-only blog.

9. Misc.

The content on this blog is provided as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. All site content, including advertisements, shall not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the authors who may or may not have a position in any company or advertiser referenced above. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decisions