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Climate Crisis

In Focus

Climate change is a global threat that requires an urgent response. The Harvard community is taking a multi-faceted approach to addressing and reversing the effects of this crisis.

Vice provost for climate and sustainability

James H. Stock, a Harvard professor and economist known for his expertise on energy and environmental policy, has been named the University’s inaugural vice provost for climate and sustainability.

Read more on The Harvard Gazette

Addressing the crisis

How the US Interior Department can act on climate right now

Joel Clement describes some immediate opportunities—and emphasizes specific recommendations—to establish the Interior Department as a purposeful catalyst for a fair and just transition to clean energy, healthy ecosystems, and thriving communities.
Read the Belfer Center article

The climate of now

The Divinity School explores the convergence of religion and climate change in this series of online conversations.
Learn more from the Divinity School

Changing minds

"People are predisposed to believe what matches their perceptual experiences—that the climate is not changing—even in the face of facts to the contrary,” says Zoe Jenkin, a Ph.D. candidate who studies philosophy of mind.
Read the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences article

"The majority of Americans have little experience with the land and its rhythms"

If Earth’s biosphere is in crisis, it is a peculiar sort of crisis. To human eyes, it appears drawn out in slow motion over decades and spread almost invisibly across vast tracts of land.
Read more from the School of Design

The future of hurricanes

While most climate scientists agree that hurricane severity, at least in terms of rainfall, will likely increase as the planet warms, there remains uncertainty about the future frequency of hurricanes.
Read more from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

The big picture

Harvard experts explore the intersection of climate change, science, policy, health, and business.
Watch the video

The land and the waters are speaking: Indigenous views on climate change

Two indigenous leaders—Nainoa Thompson and Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq (Uncle)—have both been identified by their communities as messengers who will guide us through climate challenges as they reflect on their traditions and spiritual practices.
Watch the Divinity School video

The intersection of disability and climate change

Master’s student David Liebmann works to build awareness of the elevated threat level of climate change for people with disabilities.
Read the School of Education article

Climate champions

Students, scholars, and leaders throughout the Harvard community are confronting climate change and all its effects.

A collage of photos of a Harvard student and deleware

A. R. Siders

“Being uncertain doesn’t mean that we can’t address [the effects of climate change],” said the College and Law School alum, who is now an assistant professor at Delaware University’s Disaster Research Center.

Learn more about A. R. Siders

Two professors in Harvard Yard

Naomi Oreskes and Yvette Jackson

Jackson, assistant professor of music, wrote the 15-minute piece “Doubt” in collaboration with Oreskes, professor of the history of science, whose academic work has focused on the denial of climate science.

Listen to “Doubt”

A student in the woods

Udit Gupta

“We need to be asking what’s greener, running applications on the device or in a data center,” said the Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at SEAS.

Read more about Udit’s work

Leslie Harris

Leslie M. Harris

The Beatrice Shepherd Blane Fellow uses memoir and family, urban, and environmental histories to explore New Orleans, from its founding through its uncertain future amid climate change.

Watch Leslie tell her story

A divinity professor sitting in a chair

Dan McKanan

“… climate change cannot be addressed in isolation, but only in relation to the intersecting challenges of white supremacy, settler colonialism, heteropatriarchy, and so many structures of injustice that are both the age old and reinventing themselves every day,” said the Divinity School senior lecturer.

Hear more from Dan

Learn more

Explore these climate change primers to better understand the full scope of the issue and find out what you can do.

Climate@HKS

The digital hub for Harvard Kennedy School’s research, teaching, and engagement related to climate change.

Explore the Kennedy School’s resources

Harvard speaks on climate change

This video series features faculty from across our campus discussing the many dimensions of the climate challenge: from law, business, and public policy, to public health, design, the sciences and engineering, and the humanities.

Watch the Center for the Environment videos

‘Climate Rising’

The Business School’s podcast features community leaders and faculty discussing what businesses are doing, can do, and should do to confront climate change.

Explore the podcast

Our progress

In April 2020, we pledged to set our endowment on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from investments in its portfolio by 2050.

  • 1st

    U.S. higher education endowment to pledge net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from investments

     

     

This pledge was a first among U.S. higher education endowments and a natural extension of Harvard’s ongoing efforts—through its teaching, research, and operations—to accelerate the necessary transition to a fossil fuel-free economy. Read the report on early progress and engagement activities.

  • 30%

    reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

In addition, Harvard has outlined an ambitious goal to be fossil-fuel neutral by 2026 and fossil-fuel free by 2050. We’re also continuing to maintain the 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that we’ve already achieved.

The new SEC building with green fields surrounding it
  • 136

    LEED certified buildings

Harvard has 136 LEED certified buildings, more than any other higher ed institution.

Hybrid busses with a Harvard logo
  • 20%

    CO2 reduction with new Harvard Mail & Delivery Service vehicles

     

     

As of 2019, 30% of Harvard Mail & Delivery Services vehicles were equipped with XL Hybrid technology that provides a 25% MPG improvement on average and a 20% CO2 reduction. 

  • 11%

    reduction in water use

     

Since 2006, the amount of trash produced in pounds-per-capita is down 32%, and water use overall is down 11%.

Follow Sustainable Harvard on Twitter and Instagram to learn more.

How can Harvard lead in the effort to combat climate change?

"The work of faculty focused on interventions to adapt to the realities of the climate crisis and mitigate their effects is where Harvard will have its greatest impact."
Read the article

Sustainability Committee focuses on health and equity to meet goal

Harvard is engaging its researchers and industry climate leaders to identify and invest in projects, according to the Harvard Presidential Committee on Sustainability.
Read the article

Progress report on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

To keep its promise to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its portfolio by 2050, the Harvard Corporation directed Harvard Management Company to give an early assessment of where its efforts and investments stand now.
Read the article

New complex recognized as one of the world’s healthiest lab buildings

New lab complex will help Harvard progress toward its Sustainability Plan and achieve its goals to be fossil fuel-neutral by 2026 and fossil fuel-free by 2050.
Read the article

Electric buses put Harvard on road to fossil fuel-free future

The University has invested in 100% electric buses, which hit the road this fall. The four buses will lower greenhouse gas emissions by more than 220,000 pounds annually.
Read the article

Greener commutes

In 2019, 85% of Harvard Cambridge/Allston commuters and 81% of Harvard Longwood commuters used sustainable transportation options to get to work. Of those who commuted in 2019, 38% used public transit, 24% walked, and 15% biked.
Read the article

Greener buildings

In 2015, we broke the record to become the most LEED-certified higher education institution in the world. Today, our 136 certified sites are resulting in reduced carbon emissions, greater energy and water efficiency, and higher quality indoor experiences for our on-campus community.
Read the article

Energy efficiency pays off

As the 2016 fiscal year concluded, leaders of our facilities team were pleased to report a significant savings in energy usage and utilities costs, down about 30% from the previous year.
Read the article

Think globally, join locally

Join our Harvard climate experts on one of our many livestream events.

See more climate events

October 01, 2021 10:00am – 11:00am EST Harvard Event: Online Only

The Road to Glasgow: Climate Negotiations for a World on the Brink of Disaster

October 01, 2021 10:00am – 11:00am EST Harvard Event: Online Only

The Road to Glasgow: Climate Negotiations for a World on the Brink of Disaster
October 27, 2021 3:00pm – 4:00pm EST Harvard Event: Online Only

What Can an Economist Possibly Have to Say About Climate Change?

October 27, 2021 3:00pm – 4:00pm EST Harvard Event: Online Only

What Can an Economist Possibly Have to Say About Climate Change?

Latest climate news from the Harvard Gazette

We’ve curated a selection of Harvard Gazette stories focused on climate change.

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