With campus as a test bed, climate action starts and continues at MIT
Recap for 2020
In 2020, MIT continued to advance toward its goal of a minimum 32% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. Overall net emissions are now 24% below MIT’s 2014 baseline, with emissions on campus reduced 6% over the previous fiscal year. This reduction was driven in part by gains in building-level energy efficiency investments, operational efficiency of the Central Utilities Plant (CUP), improvements in the New England regional electricity grid, a less intense heating season, and a temporary de-densification of campus due to COVID-19.
Sources of Reduced Emissions
In FY20, MIT realized a net reduction of nearly 11,000 metric tons of GHG emissions from the previous year. These net changes were driven by several primary factors as highlighted below. Preliminary efforts to develop data on the Institute’s Scope 3, or indirect, GHG emissions continue. This data will inform MIT’s total GHG emissions activities and enable MIT to explore opportunities to reduce emissions beyond what is currently being tracked.