Letter: UMass Must Do More to Reduce Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by the Energy and Climate Action Committee (ECAC) of the Town of Amherst

A significant part of the Town of Amherst’s overall greenhouse gas emissions comes from UMass Amherst, which emits roughly 160,000 metric tons of CO₂ yearly, 120,000 of which is directly traceable to their central heat and power plant – an oil and methane burning 20 MW power plant located on campus. There has been little or no change in this number since 2009, and it accounts for roughly 40% of the town’s greenhouse gas emissions. UMass is working to develop a plan to decrease these emissions by analyzing what strategies, infrastructure, and technologies they need to control their greenhouse gas emissions. They are hosting engagement events during their “Decarbonization Days” in October to let the community know what they are doing. This includes open forums on October 20/21 at 4pm in the Integrated Learning Center, Room N151, which will include a presentation on what UMass has been discussing and its plans for greenhouse gas reductions and a Q&A.

In contrast to the University, the town has been doing relatively well in working toward its sustainability goals. However, we still need to do better. Municipal emissions are down 16.8% from 2016, short of our 2025 target of 25%, but a respectable decrease that will likely exceed 25% next year. The town’s Climate Action Adaptation and Resilience plan calls for a further reduction of 50% by 2030. The Town cannot achieve this without a significant greenhouse gas reduction by UMass.

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. It is widely understood that carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels is an existential threat to the planet. Rapidly increasing ocean temperatures are right now driving a record-setting El Nino that is predicted to result in an additional 451,000 deaths worldwide, including 3500 in the U.S. Real efforts are being made to decarbonize: you may have installed heat pumps in your home to replace an old oil furnace, or bought an electric car or bike; Amherst College is replacing their fossil-fuel central heating plant with a geothermal network; The town just opened a new net-zero school to replace the aging Fort River school. We look forward to hearing how UMass intends to address this existential threat.

In anticipation of the Open Forum, the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee will host a presentation on what UMass could be doing. Please join us on Zoom on October 7th at 6:00 pm at https://zoom.us/j/95283460251#success to learn more what is being done in our community and how you can participate.

The Energy and Climate Action Committee of the Town of Amherst (ECAC)