Georgia Tech Climate Action Plan

Beginning in 2022, Infrastructure and Sustainability led the launch of Georgia Tech's first Climate Action Plan (CAP). The plan process is being led by the Office of Sustainability and includes stakeholder engagement across faculty, staff, and students that will be completed at the end of 2023. 

Progress

Georgia Tech is entering its fourth semester of the CAP development process. Draft climate action strategies developed by a wide range of campus stakeholders are currently being modeled for their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction potential and for their financial feasibility. The recommended strategies and modeling results will be shared with the campus community during multiple engagement events to elicit further input throughout the fall 2023 semester. 

Georgia Tech has taken a phased approach to Climate Action Plan Development and is on track to publish the plan in early 2024.  

Upcoming Events

October 2 - Climate Action Plan Student Engagement Workshop 

October 4 - Climate Action Plan Campus Townhall (Virtual) 

cap process by semester

 

Working Group Focus Areas

  1. Building Utilities 

  1. Renewables and Offsets 

  1. Mobility 

  1. Climate Change Research and Policy 

  1. Education 

  1. Climate Justice, Equity, and Community 

  1. Materials Management 

  1. Resilient Infrastructure 

  1. Students 

By the Numbers

Almost 100 campus stakeholders convened across nine subject matter working groups throughout the spring and summer to develop climate mitigation and resiliency strategies for Georgia Tech with a goal to reduce emissions by 100% by 2050 while leveraging the Institute’s academic and research strengths.   

Thus far, engagement has spanned across students, faculty, and staff to inform the plan and includes: 

  • 20+ Advisory Task Force Members 

  • 90+ Working Group Members  

  • 200+ students, faculty, & staff participation in virtual and in-person events 

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory is an invaluable tool that shows GHG emissions generated from different activities and sources across campus. A robust GHG inventory is an essential foundation for setting reduction targets, developing mitigation strategies, and reporting progress towards climate goals.  

Our GHG inventory tracks three main gases: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide – plus several gases used in refrigeration. The collected data is then converted into a metric called carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e, considering the differing global warming potential of each gas. 

We track emissions from all three commonly recognized emissions “scopes”: Scope 1 (direct emissions, or those generated onsite), Scope 2 (indirect emissions, namely purchased electricity), and Scope 3 (indirect emissions from activities such as supply chain and employee commuting).

All Scopes

Circle graph displaying all of Georgia Tech's greenhouse gas emissions.Key describing greenhouse gas emissions categories.

 

Scope 1

Georgia Tech scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Scope 2

Georgia Tech's scope 2 emissions trend data.

 

Scope 3

Georgia tech's scope 3 emissions.

*The graph above reflects currently calculated scope 3 emissions. Georgia Tech is currently evaluating emissions from procurement, embodied carbon (new construction, fleet), waste, and student home travel. These categories have the potential to drastically increase scope 3 emissions. 

Engage

Want to learn more? Email us at sustain@gatech.edu and follow us on social media at @sustainatgatech for upcoming events and other updates.  

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