Pathways to Carbon Neutrality: UC Chile Climate Action Strategy Unveiled

In 2019, during the COP25 summit, UC Chile embraced the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2038. Global warming is a symptom of a larger problem: climate change, a phenomenon defined as a series of variations in climate that can be natural or anthropogenic. However, current climate change has a last name: anthropogenic climate change, i.e., variations in the atmosphere with extreme events caused by the increased emission of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2 or carbon dioxide, as a result of human activity.

Amid this urgent context, UC Chile actively joined the global effort to combat climate change. Since 2020, extensive efforts have been undertaken across 10 thematic working groups, involving professors, researchers, professionals, administrative staff, and students. Each group, led by a coordinator and overseen by the UC Chile Climate Action Council, worked toward creating a comprehensive UC Chile Climate Action Strategy. This strategy includes aspects of resilience, adaptation, research, education, and cultural change. 

UC Chile President Ignacio Sánchez sees this document as the UC Chile community's initial effort in diagnosing and proposing actions toward carbon neutrality, climate action, and academic initiatives. "We understand that significant solutions must stem from substantial political decisions. However, we also recognize the cumulative impact of individual efforts. The steps the UC Chile community can take to reduce pollution not only foster a new culture within the university but, more importantly, contribute to a broader societal shift," he emphasized during the strategy's presentation ceremony on October 12.

More Information

For more information, check out the UC Chile press release or read through the Climate Action Strategy(in Spanish).