Renewal of Oxford University’s commitment to 100% green electricity
We, the undersigned members of Oxford University, affirm our support for the University’s commitment to renewable energy and we believe that in April it should decide to continue purchasing 100 % green electricity and reject the regressive option of brown energy. We call on Dr Hood to ensure that a u-turn does not take place.
There is now international scientific and political consensus that climate change is one of the biggest threats facing the world today and that it has immense and serious implications for the future of the world’s population.[1] It is accepted that human burning of fossil fuels is the biggest cause of climate change and renewable energy represents a substantive means of mitigation and one of the best bases for a sustainable future. [2] This has been enshrined in international treaties and UK governmental policy.[3]
In 2002 Oxford University took the ground-breaking decision to source 100% of its energy from renewable sources, leading the way for Cambridge and many other universities to follow, and in 2005 it renewed its commitment. It is currently the 11th biggest purchaser in Europe[4] and also an international centre for climate change research, with its own Environmental Change Institute taking ‘energy and lower carbon futures’ as one of its three major research themes.[5]
If Oxford University reneges on its commitment to green electricity then it will not only return to being a major greenhouse gas polluter,[6] but it will also be damaging its status as an environmentally responsible institution and abandoning its role as a pioneer of implemented educational development.
This purchasing of green energy must also be accompanied by energy efficient practices and there remains huge scope for such measures at a departmental and collegiate level. With sufficient institutional leadership this would substantially offset any premium that renewing the green electricity commitment might involve. Climate change is an issue of such magnitude that even if short-term costs may be incurred, these are fully outweighed by the disastrous long-term consequences of a failure to confront the problem and take action.
The issue of climate change can no longer be ignored, and we call on Dr Hood to ensure that the University stays with 100% renewable energy and continues a substantive and symbolic commitment to a sustainable future.
[1] ‘Summary of the conclusions on climate change from the Gleneagles Summit’, [http://www.g8.gov.uk]. Tony Blair PM announced that climate change was “probably, long-term the single most important issue we face as a global community”.
[2] ‘IPCC Third Assessment Report – Climate Change 2001, [http://www.ipcc.ch].
[3] Kyoto protocol commits the UK to a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% by 2008-2012 compared to 1990 levels, and a domestic goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010. Full text of the Kyoto Protocol Agreement1997, [http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.html].
[4] ‘Top Users of Green Electricity’, [http://www.greenprices.com/eu/usertop.asp]. Referenced in an Oxford University Press Release 16th February 2005, [http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/po/050215.shtml].
[5] Oxford University Environmental Change Institute [http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk].
[6] 48,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide were saved in a year according to an Oxford University Press Release 7th April 2005, [http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/po/news/2003-04/apr/07a.shtml].
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