Climate Action Plan

Communities in Minnesota and across the globe have already experienced climate change.

The science is clear that we must act swiftly to ensure a livable future for all.

We created a new Climate Action Plan (CAP) to identify actions to eliminate our greenhouse gas emissions, make the University more resilient, and address climate change through teaching, research, and outreach.

This CAP is one step of many that the University will need to take in "Building a Fully Sustainable Future," which was deemed a strategic institutional priority through the Systemwide Strategic plan, MPact 2025. Sustainability goals remain outlined in the University of Minnesota's new strategic roadmap, Elevate Extraordinary 2030.

The University is committed to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Learn about the history of climate action at the University of Minnesota and the University's commitments

Progress

Implementation has begun on the 10 year CAP. Stay tuned for progress updates.

See CAP Progress

Climate Champions

Champions partner with the Office of Sustainability to advise and advance initiatives on campus aligning with the CAP.

Champions

Academic Engagement

Engage faculty and students in research and learning experiences that contribute to the goals in the CAP and Climate Resilience Plan (2024).

Academic Engagement

Climate Resilience Plan: Addendum to the CAP

The addendum to the Climate Action Plan, the Climate Resilience Plan, was presented to the Board of Regents at their June 2024 meeting.

The first phase of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ Climate Action Plan, completed in May of 2023, created the strategy to advance carbon neutrality for the campus. It also assessed the vulnerabilities and strengths of the Twin Cities campus to current and increasing climate hazards.

This second phase, the Climate Resilience Plan, completes the strategies to prepare and respond to the regional climate hazards as researched by the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership here at the U. The strategies relate to the University's campus community, infrastructure & energy systems, and environment.

Since June of 2023, a work group composed of faculty, staff and students created a vision, goals, objectives, and strategies for this Climate Resilience Plan. Guided by the vision to foster “A University community thriving in the face of climate change,” the work group built on expert knowledge, data, as well as interdisciplinary discussion to build the plan. Twelve further focus groups were engaged as well as two Open House opportunities to hear and embed feedback. The Twin Cities Office of Sustainability finalized the plan and it was presented to the Board of Regents at their June 2024 meeting.

“

I knew U of M was the right fit for me when I read the Climate Action Plan and saw the consistent, active, and aggressive reduction of the U’s environmental footprint. For me, it was simply not enough to study/research sustainability-related topics; I needed to belong to a community which fosters sustainable change every day. Ski-U-Mah!

Jamie Schuberth

Graduate Student

Learn about the Climate Action Planning Process and Engagement

Duluth, Rochester, Crookston, and Morris campuses also completed their Climate Action Plans by 2025. Learn more about University-wide climate action planning.