UBC Vancouver in 2050
Building upon UBC community and Musqueam expertise, research and activism, UBC continues to advance excellence and innovation to address the climate emergency. Through Campus as a Living Lab, new approaches in climate science, building technology and city planning are tried, tested and refined at UBC and exported for application around the world. A global role model for decarbonization, UBC eliminated virtually all conventional fossil fuel use on campus and is on an accelerated path to net-zero emissions from all sources, including commuting, business air travel, food, waste and materials, and embodied carbon. Buildings and infrastructure work together to provide critical climate adaptation benefits to address warming temperatures and more intense and frequent storms. Campus infrastructure has helped the community to be more resilient and adaptable to uncertain and changing conditions.
Key Strategies
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Climate Action
UBC will continue be a leader in climate action and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, through just and equitable policies that guide campus development and applied research in areas such as energy systems, building technology, design and construction, and community planning. UBC will also prepare the campus to be adaptive to a changing climate, supporting the health, wellbeing and safety of the campus community and surrounding ecosystem. Existing plans and policies include Climate Action Plan 2030, Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan, and Campus as a Living Lab.
Climate Mitigation
The Vision enables UBC to mitigate contributions to climate change from campus operations—reducing greenhouse gas emissions through approaches to land use, mobility and building construction and operations.
Sustainable Land Use and Mobility Strategies
- Design compact communities that allow people to meet their basic needs within walking distance
- Decarbonize transportation by supporting green mobility (e.g., walking and rolling), providing access to fast and reliable on- and off-campus transit— including two on-campus SkyTrain stations—and supporting the transition to electric vehicles.
- Enable evolving sustainable mobility technologies (e.g., diesel fuel storage, EV charging, fast-fill stations and fleet maintenance for compressed natural gas vehicles).
- Support safe and sustainable operational practices that reduce food and waste related emissions (e.g., introduce closed-loop composting)
Reducing Operational Carbon and Improving Energy Efficiency in Buildings
- Fully convert academic and neighbourhood district energy systems to a low carbon energy supply, including upgrading supporting infrastructure for compatibility with low carbon systems and connecting new buildings
- Supply new and existing buildings with low carbon energy sources, such as electricity, if not connected to the low carbon district energy system
- Reduce operational carbon and improve energy efficiency through ambitious building performance targets (e.g., higher performance building envelopes, more efficient low carbon operations) in new buildings and retrofits to existing buildings
Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings
- Avoid new construction through adaptive reuse and renewal of existing buildings including historic structures, assessing the viability of existing buildings for renewal through academic and neighbourhood planning processes
- Reuse existing materials and reduce embodied carbon in new materials through evolving design and construction technology and practices (e.g., wood construction, low carbon concrete)
- Design for flexibility, to serve a variety of needs and lengthen the lifespan of renewed and new spaces
Climate Adaptation
The response to climate change further requires the development of just and equitable adaptation strategies that reduce impacts associated with the increasing frequency and severity of climatic events. As the temperature warms, the campus will face more intense and frequent heavy-rain and heat events, increased drought, and smoke from larger and more frequent wildfires. The Vision promotes UBC’s use of whole-systems thinking and nature-based approaches, supporting the health, wellbeing and safety of the UBC community.
Rainwater and Cliff Erosion Management Strategies
- Expand the use of green infrastructure (e.g., green roofs, bioswales, raingardens) across the campus to enhance water quality, protect against flooding, and reduce disruption at outflows
- Leverage rainwater management features to provide a range of co-benefits, such as amenities for the campus where the community can learn from and engage with the natural environment and to support emergency response (e.g., water supply for fires)
- Limit cliff erosion by requiring and site- and district scale rainwater management to reduce net run-off
- Work with regional partners to protect the cliffs against sea level rise
Climate-Ready Buildings and Open Space Strategies
- Design and retrofit buildings to protect community and infrastructure from a changing climate (e.g., comfort indoor temperatures in living and work spaces)
- Maintain and enhance urban biodiversity as a tool for climate action through nature-based solutions, such as increased tree canopy and green roofs to reduce the impacts of increased and extreme heat
- Design open space for co-benefits, including for sustainable food systems through farming and research at UBC Farm and community gardens across campus