VISION: Minnesota’s energy systems are a global model for developing a prosperous and equitable carbon-neutral economy that advances innovation and improves people’s lives and the environment.
MISSION: The Energy Transition Lab engages university and external experts to catalyze solutions to rapidly reduce carbon emissions and create Minnesota’s clean energy future.
THEORY OF CHANGE: The science is clear that we need to decarbonize the economy on a global scale as soon as possible to prevent catastrophic effects of climate change on human health and the environment. The urgency and ambition needed are reflected in the global Paris Agreement and in Minnesota’s science-based goal of reducing Statewide greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. The University of Minnesota is well-positioned to be an independent, long-term center of global research, learning, and communications about solutions to meet the grand challenge of climate change.
As a public institution, UMN has an obligation to serve all Minnesotans, including historically marginalized communities. At the university, the Energy Transition Lab (ETL), a program of the Institute on the Environment (IonE), plays a key role in reaching within and beyond the university to bring together academics from a broad range of disciplines with external experts and stakeholders to catalyze solutions to rapidly reduce carbon emissions and create Minnesota’s clean energy future. The Energy Transition Strategic Plan describes the key strategies ETL and partners will pursue through convening, strategic communications, education and leadership, as well as collaborative research, analysis, and demonstration projects.
