The Role of Offsets in Meeting Duke University's Commitment to 'Climate Neutrality': A Feasibility Study

Author(s): Eben Polk and Andrés Potes

Published: November 2008

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Executive Summary:
This report examines the potential role of carbon offsets in meeting Duke University‘s and other North Carolina universities‘ commitments to become climate neutral and to potential compliance obligations under a mandatory federal climate policy. We convened a spring semester course to research Duke‘s potential demand for offsets, identify the types of standards and policies Duke will need to adopt to transparently and credibly use offsets towards ‗climate neutrality,‘ the potential supply and cost of offsets from within North Carolina, the international and national market context, and the potential institutional models for engagement in offsets. The report was funded by Duke‘s Office of Sustainability and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.