ORCID
0009-0008-4565-2076
Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Natural Resources
First Advisor
Jon D. Erickson
Abstract
In the face of climate change, higher education institutions are in an ideal position to develop and test policy solutions that will contribute to de-carbonizing society. One such emergent policy is internal carbon pricing (ICP). First trialed in higher education in 2008, ICP internalizes the social cost of carbon pollution, holding institutions accountable for their emissions. To date, 19 known US academic institutions have trialed ICP policies, though their impacts are largely unknown. Additionally, it is unclear whether these policies have impacted climate-action cultures in colleges and universities, enabling higher education to meet decarbonization goals, educate future climate leaders, and inspire broader societal change.One critical component of ICP is alignment with university budget models. In particular, a number of universities have transitioned from centralized to decentralized budget models, often referred to as Responsibility Center Management (RCM). Key to RCM is the establishment of incentives to guide campus decision-makers in making budgetary decisions. Also crucial is the allocation of costs to campus subunits, including facilities, staffing, and utility costs. Yet, one cost which has yet to be embedded within RCM models is the cost of carbon. Through applying carbon charges to indirect expense model drivers such as electric and gas utilities, institutions can leverage carbon accounting to build transparency, accountability, and healthy governance practices. This thesis will investigate two potential impacts of ICP, including how they have impacted carbon emissions through affecting behavior and governance, and how they may function to support campus climate action. The first study assesses emissions reductions from 170 institutions with and without ICP policies using both a statistical modeling approach and interviews with key decision-makers from 15 ICP institutions. The second study proposes a conceptual model for how to embed a carbon charge within an RCM budget model at the University of Vermont, including analysis of focus group deliberations of key institutional challenges to campus climate action. Overall, this thesis aims to benefit the environmental performance of higher education institutions, while facilitating broader cultural change and awareness of decarbonization strategies.
Language
en
Number of Pages
110 p.
Recommended Citation
Urbaniak, Eric, "Internal Carbon Pricing and Decentralized Budgeting in Higher Education: Building Climate Action through Responsibility Centered Management" (2025). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 2080.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/2080