Over the past fifteen years, Duke University has significantly enhanced its leadership in sustainability as students, faculty, staff and senior administrators worked together to educate and empower the Duke community to create a more sustainable future through social, economic and environmental change on the campus and beyond. These past two unprecedented years have also enabled the Duke community to personally feel the impact of the interconnection of societies across the world, and the interdependence of humans on the natural systems that support life on this planet. These lessons exemplify the importance of Duke’s expanded efforts to tackle the climate crisis to create a just, equitable, sustainable, net-zero carbon future.
In 2020, President Price created the Climate Change and Sustainability Task Force of Duke University’s Board of Trustees. This task force of trustees, faculty, staff and students was charged with visioning the role that Duke University should play in addressing climate change and contributing to sustainable and equitable future solutions. In alignment with the University’s mission, the task force recommended strategies for further infusing climate change and sustainability into academics, research, campus operations, and community engagement. This institution, with its focus on innovation, public service and global connections, is uniquely situated to be an example of climate leadership and instill this ethic in all students.To learn more about the task force’s recommendations, please review the executive summary of its report.
As the University works to harness its collective power to address the climate crisis, it's also important to reflect on the past two year’s efforts to continue sustainability action in the face of unparalleled challenges.