The deadline for the signatories of the historic “American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment” to submit inventories of their school’s carbon footprint has come and gone and fewer than half of committed institutions actually submitted reports. In order to establish a concrete plan for carbon neutrality, the schools promised to assess their current level of greenhouse gas emission. Schools were asked to estimate their emissions based on the combustion of fossil fuels, electricity consumption, student, faculty, and staff commuting, and institution-funded air travel. Many schools that missed the deadline claimed to have difficulty quantifying their emissions, particularly those generated by commuters and air travel. Other schools have found trouble reconciling the tensions between expanding and maintaining their commitments to the climate.

More from Inside Higher Ed
Read this NSNS post about the Presidents’ Climate Commitment
Read the commitment
Check out the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment Reporting System