USC’s Commitment to Climate Neutrality by 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is USC aggressively pursuing climate neutrality?
The Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscores the urgency in taking action now to get to global climate neutrality as soon as possible.
- USC takes its leadership role in society seriously and understands that all organizations and individuals must be actively engaged in this global effort. Universities must model the behavior that moves society forward.
- USC graduates global citizens who are prepared for leadership. Understanding and experiencing what climate neutrality looks like and how to achieve it is a key element of their education for future leadership.
- USC researchers have made and continue to make important contributions to climate action solutions. It is important that we practice climate action to align with and contribute the knowledge gained from institutional experience to those solutions.
What does USC’s 2025 climate neutrality commitment include?
- The commitment includes reducing and offsetting or removing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as defined by international greenhouse gas protocols. Scope 1 involves emissions generated on campus by the burning of fossil fuels for building heating, cooling and electricity, and in university-owned or leased vehicles. Scope 2 involves emissions generated by utilities (LADWP) in supplying electricity to USC.
- USC will achieve climate neutrality for annual scope 3 emissions (air travel, commuting, waste, T&D losses) by fiscal year 2035. Separate commitments will be announced related to supply chain emissions (including embodied carbon in construction) after those emissions have been calculated and appropriate goals set.
- The commitment includes CO2 but also other greenhouse gas emissions, which are converted into metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCDE).
- The commitment includes the University Park Campus (UPC) and the academic and research facilities of the Health Sciences Campus (HSC). Keck Medicine of USC is currently developing its climate action strategy.
What are USC’s primary strategies for achieving neutrality?
The following strategies are listed in priority order, though they will often be pursued in parallel:
- Continuing to improve energy efficiency in our existing buildings. 13% of the total reduction in USC’s GHG emissions since 2014 are the result of improved building energy performance.
- Going forward, USC will renovate and build very energy-efficient buildings following new Sustainability Design Guidelines under development by Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) now.
- Installing solar and, potentially, energy storage where suitable on campus garages and rooftops. USC completed installation of solar panels on Galen Center in 2020, adding to the solar previously installed at the Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island.
- Partnering with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to purchase off-site solar power. LADWP’s commitment to decarbonizing the Los Angeles municipal grid by 2035 will significantly enable achievement of USC’s neutrality.
- Electrifying our campus infrastructure as individual equipment nears end of life
- Transitioning our fleet towards electric vehicles, which will reduce emissions and noise pollution, and improve air quality
- Engaging the USC community to practice energy conservation behaviors
- Developing and securing carbon offsets until such time as they are no longer needed to achieve climate neutrality
What is USC’s progress on climate neutrality to date?
USC’s 2025 climate neutrality pathway is a continuation of the strong work we’ve been undertaking over the past several years to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. As of fiscal year 2020, USC has achieved a 35% reduction in normalized (per square foot) ghg emissions and a 19% overall reduction from 2014 levels (Scopes 1 and 2). This has been achieved through the decarbonization of LADWP’s grid, energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings, highly energy efficient new construction (minimizing additional energy use), and solar photovoltaics.
How does USC’s climate neutrality work connect to the academic, research, and community missions of the university?
– USC’s climate neutrality work supports the university’s mission of educating students as global citizens and future leaders who recognize the importance of “walking the talk” in combating climate change. USC will develop experiential learning opportunities for students related to its climate efforts and will leverage USC research solutions in advancing climate action on-campus and in partnership with our neighbors and in the broader community. Faculty and students who are interested in developing experiential learning projects related to USC’s operational climate action should email sustainability@usc.edu.
How is this particularly relevant to the Los Angeles area?
A recent USC Dornsife-Union Bank LABarometer survey indicated that 50% of Angelenos avoided going outside at some point in the last year due to air quality issues created by wildfires. Los Angeles continues to be impacted by a mega-drought and climate change portends a new reality for a future with less water available to Angelenos. USC’s climate initiatives are intertwined with L.A.’s pLAn and continued cooperative work with the city, county, and other organizations to take climate action, simultaneously helping improve air quality and minimize the impacts of climate change, which have a disproportionate impact on homeless, economically disadvantaged, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) populations.
What are USC’s current emissions?
USC’s most recent greenhouse gas inventory covers fiscal year 2020 and indicates:
| Emissions scope category | FY2020 Emissions (in MTCDE) |
| Scope 1 | 39,063 |
| Scope 2 | 93,784 |
| Scope 3 | 112,560 |
| Total | 245,407 |