Yale is 1st varsity to join Global Carbon Pricing Leadership

New York, Mar 18: Yale will become the first university member of a private-public partnership coalition to strengthen carbon pricing policies through development of a network for sharing best practices.

The Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), launched by World Bank (WB) President Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Climate Summit in Paris, includes over 90 business and more than 20 governments including Germany, France, Mexico, Chile, Ethiopia and Morocco.

The announcement of Yale joining the coalition was made earlier this week in Mumbai during the World Bank's Corporate Carbon Pricing Leadership Workshop.

"Universities have a critical role to play in offering leadership, teaching and research expertise to help develop effective climate change solutions," Yale University President Peter Salvoes said.

He said CPLC's network gives Yale the opportunity to work with and learn from companies and governments engaged in similar carbon-pricing efforts. Since November last year, a pilot project has been underway on the Yale campus to test how carbon pricing can inform and guide energy conservation at Yale and beyond.

"As we seek to accelerate the transition towards a low- carbon world, Yale's practical lessons in designing and putting in place an internal carbon pricing programme are an inspiration to companies that want to take action to climate- proof their business models," Principal Climate Policy Officer at the International Finance Corporation and WB Tom Kerr said.

Jennifer Milikowsky and Ryan Laemel, recent Yale students who work on Yale's Carbon Charge Project, gave presentations about the project at the Mumbai workshop and at the India Climate Policy and Business Conclave in New Delhi on March 15.

Laemel said it was an honour to work with Indian officials, the World Bank and member companies of the CPLC to share Yale's carbon charge pilot project. "The lessons we are learning are an important extension of our efforts on campus.

The CPLC's network will be an invaluable resource as we continue to test and develop the concept," Laemel said.

PTI