By Kevin McCarty
July 14, 2008

Speaking for leaders of America’s college and universities, University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert praised the leadership of U.S. mayors on climate protection and said, "Climate change is the issue of our time."

"We need to address these issues at the local level, which is what mayors are all about, and what colleges and universities are all about," he said during remarks at the June 22 plenary session.

Emmert recognized the work of his colleagues in advancing climate protection through the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), explaining that more than 500 presidents have pledged actions that strive to achieve carbon neutrality. These institutions, he explained, account for "more than 25 percent of all students in the U.S."

He set forth the key rationale for why it is so important to have colleges and universities engaged in the climate fight. "Universities do basic research and help us understand what climate change is all about," he said as the first of several roles, including educating future leaders and fulfilling obligations to take what we have learned and take it out to society. Putting this role in the context of the U.S. economy, Emmert said that the budgets of local governments and college and universities "represent 12 percent of U.S. GDP and that can have a huge impact."

"At UW, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent with our collaboration with the city. There is no reason why this can’t happen elsewhere," he said.

In closing his remarks, Emmert welcomed the emerging partnership between his colleagues and mayors, supported by greater collaboration between the Conference of Mayors and ACUPCC, where he serves as a member of the steering committee. "When it comes to climate change, the whole world is watching. It will have to be done at the local level," Emmert concluded.