This month Harvard University President Drew G. Faust committed Harvard to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 30% below 2006 levels by 2016. In making the commitment Faust accepted the recommendation of a student and faculty task force formed last February and charged with studying how to make cuts in Harvard's greenhouse gas emissions. In recent months, student activists pressured Faust to sign a pledge committing Harvard to achieve climate neutrality. While Faust’s pledge falls short of a climate neutral goal, and while Harvard has not yet announced its plans for cutting emissions beyond 2016, student activists expressed their approval of Faust’s adoption of the task force recommendation. Faust indicated that the university’s efforts constitute an "initial short-term goal," and that the university plans to further reductions beyond 2016.

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Read the task force’s full report (PDF)
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