At UCSF, our mission to advance health worldwide compels us to address climate change as one of the defining issues of our time. The way we power facilities, move people and goods, and manage resources directly affects the health of our patients, our communities, and the planet.
UCSF has a strong history leading climate action. From its first plan in 2009, UCSF has championed strategies to build green buildings, increase energy efficiency in existing facilities, procure clean electricity, support sustainable landfill waste reduction programs, electrify transit, and reduce commutes by single occupancy vehicles.
In 2026, UCSF is launching its next phase in this important work, with two complementary plans that establish a long-term institutional approach to climate action and decarbonization.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) establishes UCSF's strategy for transforming a rapidly growing academic health system into a low-carbon enterprise over the next two-decades. It combines greenhouse gas forecasting, projected campus growth, infrastructure planning, and three decarbonization scenarios to define measurable targets, implementation strategies, and coordinated actions to achieve a 90% emissions reduction from operations by 2045.
The companion Climate Resilience Plan (CRP) focuses on preparing UCSF for the impacts of climate change by strengthening the resilience of its people, assets, and services to climate hazards including extreme heat, drought, wildfire, wildfire smoke, rainstorms and flooding, and coastal flooding.
UCSF Climate Action Plan (2026)
A roadmap for a lower-carbon, more resilient UCSF.
The UCSF Climate Action Plan (CAP) establishes the University's strategy for achieving up to a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 while supporting the continued growth of its academic health system.
The CAP combines greenhouse gas forecasting, projected campus growth, infrastructure planning, and multiple decarbonization scenarios to evaluate implementation pathways, establish measurable targets, and coordinate actions. Together, these create the institutional framework that guides capital investments and operational decision-making across buildings, infrastructure, transportation, waste, and operations over the next two decades.
What the Climate Action Plan Does
The CAP establishes coordinated actions that guide implementation across UCSF's campuses and health system.
Electrify Buildings and Campus Energy Systems
Replace natural gas infrastructure with electric heating and cooling systems, modernize and electrify central utility plants, expand electrical infrastructure, and improve energy efficiency.
Align Capital Renewal with Decarbonization
Coordinate planned renewal of utilities, buildings, and energy systems so required infrastructure investments also reduce emissions, strengthen reliability and resilience, and support a lower-carbon future.
Electrify the UCSF Fleet
Transition University-owned vehicles to zero-emission transportation and expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Expand Low-Carbon Commute Transportation
Strengthen transit partnerships, enhance commute programs, and reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel while leveraging California's transition to clean vehicles and zero-emission public transit.
Reduce Business Air Travel Emissions
Advance sustainable travel communications and policies, expand virtual engagement where appropriate, and support the aviation industry's transition to sustainable aviation fuels and other emerging low-carbon flight technologies.
Reduce Waste and Strengthen Circular Operations
Increase waste diversion, reduce waste generation, strengthen sustainable procurement, and incorporate circular economy principles into construction and campus operations.
Implementation
The Climate Action Plan is a living framework.
Implementation is underway across UCSF, with new implementation resources, progress updates, and tools to be added as projects advance.
Recognizing that technology, funding, regulations, and progress by external sectors will continue to evolve, the CAP evaluates multiple pathways that allow UCSF to adapt implementation over time while remaining aligned with University of California policy, California's decarbonization efforts, and emerging partnership and funding opportunities.
Going forward, the Office of Sustainability will facilitate implementation by coordinating collaboration across departments.
Collaboration
Climate action is a shared institutional responsibility. Facilities, Energy and Utilities, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, Real Estate, UCSF Health, academic units, and other departments will advance actions within their areas of expertise and incorporate climate considerations into capital planning, infrastructure renewal, purchasing, transportation, clinical operations, and day-to-day decision-making.
Facilities, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, Real Estate, UCSF Health, academic units, and other operational departments are responsible for advancing actions within their areas of expertise, embedding climate action into long-term planning, capital investments, infrastructure renewal, and day-to-day operations.
Measuring Progress
UCSF has long reported sustainability performance through annual UC reporting, including greenhouse gas emissions, building energy performance, waste diversion, and other systemwide metrics.
The Climate Action Plan builds-on this foundation by establishing additional implementation metrics that will incrementally measure progress toward UCSF's 2045 climate goals. As implementation advances, this site will provide updates on major initiatives, milestones, and progress toward CAP-specific actions.
Emissions are categorized into three different scopes. Scope 1 includes natural gas, fleet, equipment, generators, and fugitive emissions. Scope 2 includes purchased electricity. Scope 3 includes business travel, commute and solid waste.
Figure 4 shows the outcome of emissions in an achievement scenario.
Figure 2 shows our emissions projection if everything continues as 'business as usual' (BAU).
