Resilience Commitment

Resilience Commitment logoUW–Madison is a signatory of the Second Nature Resilience Commitment. Resilience refers to the ability of institutions and communities to prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. During the signing ceremony, then-Chancellor Blank emphasized that the Resilience Commitment reflects a holistic approach and timely need: “We are facing a global crisis, and we recognize that higher education has a role to play in addressing it.”

Read this statement in: 中文 / CHINESE ~ HMOOB / HMONG ~ ESPAÑOL / SPANISH ~ नेपाली / NEPALI ~ བོད་སྐད / TIBETAN

Resilience Spotlights

Process

 

Step 1: Campus-Community Alignment

UW–Madison will facilitate joint action between campus and the community to ensure the alignment of the Resilience Assessment and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan with community goals and submit an annual evaluation of progress to Second Nature.

Step 2: Resilience Assessment

UW–Madison will complete a campus-community resilience assessment that includes initial indicators and current vulnerabilities to campus and the community in five key areas: social equity and governance, health and wellness, economic development, ecosystem services, and infrastructure.

Step 3: Climate Action & Adaptation Plan

UW–Madison will complete a climate action and adaptation plan that will include a target date by which defined thresholds of resilience will be met, interim target dates for meeting milestones that will lead to increasing resilience, mechanisms and indicators for tracking progress, actions to make resilience topics a greater part of the curriculum at UW–Madison, and actions to expand research in resilience topics.

Review and Accountability

These action items will be reviewed on a biannual basis if possible, and not longer than every five years. Resilience Commitment updates will alternate with UW–Madison’s STARS assessment update reports.

Resilience by the Numbers


UW–Madison has reduced scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions by over 40% since 2007.

UW–Madison has reduced its energy use by 19% since 2007.

UW–Madison has reduced its water use by over 29% since 2007.

Resources

Resilience in Action

Explore campus units that are participating in research, curriculum, and operations in the five dimensions of resilience: Infrastructure, Economics, Ecosystem Services, Social Equity and Governance, and Health and Wellness. (Coming soon!)

Campus-Community Input

UW–Madison values input from the campus and the community to help guide its process and decision-making. For ways to get involved, please sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.

Resilience on Campus and Beyond

The Resilience Commitment will draw on past work at the university, in the community, and beyond.