Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Carbon Pricing Approaches For Climate Decisions In U.S. Higher Education: Proxy Carbon Prices For Deep Decarbonization, Alexander R. Barron, Breanna J. Parker, Susan Stratton Sayre, Shana S. Weber, Dano Weisbord

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

Given the slow policy response by governments, climate leadership by other institutions has become an essential part of maintaining policy momentum, driving innovation, and fostering social dialogue. Despite growth in carbon pricing in government and the private sector, our review suggests low, but growing, adoption of internal carbon prices (ICPs) by higher education institutions (HEIs), who may be uniquely suited to implement and refine these tools. We analyze the range of ICP tools in use by eleven U.S. HEIs and discuss tradeoffs. Our analysis identifies several reasons why proxy carbon prices may be especially well-suited to decisions (especially at the …