Harvard Still On Track To Reach Net Zero Emissions by 2026, Sustainability Report Finds

Harvard’s 2024 sustainability report found that campus net greenhouse gas emissions continued to flatline for the ninth straight year — keeping the University on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2026.

The report, released in early October, detailed the status of Harvard’s renewable energy projects on campus and their progress toward the goal of being fossil-fuel free by 2050.

“Harvard is harnessing world-renowned research and the thought leadership of our faculty and students to enhance climate, health, and community,” Heather Henriksen, Harvard’s chief sustainability officer, wrote in the report.

But University affiliates are still waiting for Harvard Endowment’s annual climate report, which broadly updates the status of Harvard’s climate investments. Six months after the report was set to be published, it remains unavailable — with no release date in sight.

The sustainability report highlighted the creation of the Consortium for Climate Solutions in fall 2024, a “renewable energy aggregation” between Harvard, MIT and Massachusetts General Brigham that brings the institutions together to invest in climate solutions.

The group helped to establish“two large-scale renewable energy projects that will add 1.3 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually to the U.S. grid,” according to the Harvard report. These projects have avoided an estimated 1 million tons of emissions.

Henriksen wrote in the report that combining purchasing agreements by Consortium with Harvard’s own environmental efforts means that the University will be “purchasing the equivalent of 100% of its electricity from renewable sources starting in 2026.”

The Consortium presents greater environmental investments that Harvard is adding on top of its other initiatives, which the report found are making steady progress.

Harvard is continuing to expand its fleet of electric vehicles, bringing the total number of the University’s EV vans, cars, buses, and specialized vehicles to 18. This means that nearly one-third of Harvard’s fleet is powered by electricity, with the remaining point powered by renewable fuels.

The University is also “on track” to cut food-related emissions by 25 percent by 2030. Harvard has already reduced its food-related emissions by 13.55 percent, and is now piloting a new artificial intelligence tool to further reduce waste in undergraduate dining halls.

Literally building upon their sustainability trajectory, Harvard is also using more-sustainable mass timber to construct its new facilities in Allston, the Goel Center for Creativity and Performance and the Rubenstein Treehouse. While the report finds that the campus has physically expanded by 14 percent, Harvard has made a 40 percent reduction in emissions per square foot.

Jasmine N. Wynn ’27, the co-founder of Harvard’s Sunrise Movement and a Crimson Editorial editor, said she was pleased that the University’s sustainability report was released as she waits for the endowment report to be published.

“I am glad that they released it, especially considering a lack of transparency from the University on a lot of different issues, for example, diversity offices,” she said. “I’m glad to see them continuing their commitment to climate transparency in some capacity.”