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University of Toronto

Summary

All three of the University of Toronto’s campuses are committing to reduce more greenhouse gases than they emit in the years ahead, an ambitious goal that goes beyond carbon neutrality and targets a climate-positive future.

The commitment expands on an earlier pledge to make the St. George campus climate positive by 2050 – a milestone the university now says it will reach well in advance – and is an extension of U of T’s Low-Carbon Action Plan, which looks to curb greenhouse gas emissions by 37 per cent relative to 1990 levels by 2030.

It comes as the United Nations COP28 climate conference gets underway in Dubai, where the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability (CECCS) and Climate Positive Energy, a U of T institutional strategic initiative, are scheduled to host a variety of events and panel discussions that highlight the role of universities in supporting a clean energy transition.

“U of T is determined to lead by example in addressing climate change – a strategic priority of the university and one of the most pressing issues of our time,” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

“The goal of becoming climate positive on all three campuses is bold and befitting of our mission as an educational institution that strives to make the world a better place.”

The campus is also modernizing what are some of Canada’s oldest district energy systems via Project LEAP, an effort supported by the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The project comprises a number of retrofit projects – including the replacement of gas boilers with electric alternatives in the St. George campus’s central steam plant – that will help curb greenhouse gas emissions by over 50 per cent by decade’s end.

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