Environment
IOP Upgrades Environmental Action Coalition to Pilot Program
The Institute of Politics leadership voted narrowly last week to upgrade the Environmental Action Coalition to a pilot program, bringing the total number of IOP programs to 17.
88 Pounds of Trash Collected at Eighth Annual Charles River Clean-Up
Harvard students and affiliates collected 88 pounds of trash, microplastics, and debris at the eighth annual Charles River Clean-Up on Thursday. The event held to mark Earth Day was co-hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School and Charles River Conservancy.
Cambridge Earth Day Celebration Offers Sustainability Resources and a Pile of Free Compost
At the City of Cambridge’s annual Earth Day celebration on Saturday, city officials offered residents information on local sustainability programs — and free compost to haul away by the bucketful from a heap in front of the Cambridge Public Library.
Biden Economic Advisers Talk Inflation Reduction Act at Clean Energy Summit
National security and economic advisers to former President Joe Biden discussed the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and decarbonization efforts across policy and finance at the first “Amped & Wired Summit” on Saturday.
Cambridge No Longer in a ‘Critical’ Drought, City Water Board Announces
The Water Board of the City of Cambridge announced that the City’s drought level has decreased from a level three “critical” drought to a level two “significant” drought status during a Tuesday evening meeting.
DPU Cuts MassSave Funding by $500 Million, Approves Gas Bill Reductions
The Department of Public Utilities ordered a reduction of the total three-year budget for the MassSave energy efficiency program by $500 million on Friday to reduce gas bills.
DPU Orders Mass. Gas Companies to Cut Bills by 5 Percent
The companies have until Feb. 24 to file their proposals for adjustments, which will take effect on March 1. The move will afford residents some respite, with lower bills expected for the “peak season” months of March and April.
Local Black-Owned Soapmaking Business Wins State-Wide Sustainability Award
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts recently recognized a Cambridge Black-owned business as one of the most environmentally conscious small businesses in the state.
Mass. Department of Public Utilities to Review Energy Delivery Rates After Complaints Over Skyrocketing Bills
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has promised to renegotiate energy delivery rates with oil and gas companies after Mass. Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 and several state legislators penned letters decrying residents’ surging heating bills.
At Harvard Talk, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi ’08 Says Biden’s Climate Policy Will Outlast His Term
White House National Climate Advisor Ali A. Zaidi ’08 said at a Harvard talk Wednesday that the Biden administration’s climate policies would be resilient in the face of a Republican-controlled Congress and President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
Harvard Will Purchase Power from Two Renewable Energy Projects Through Climate Consortium
Harvard announced Wednesday that it will help finance two utility-scale renewable energy projects through the Consortium for Climate Solutions, an agreement with institutions including MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Harvard Hires 8 New Climate Faculty Across FAS, Graduate Schools
Harvard hired eight new climate faculty members in 2024 as the Salata Institute continues to expand climate research and hiring, the University announced earlier this month.
Harvard Kennedy School ‘Greenplexity’ Tool Debuts at COP29
Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab debuted an interactive online tool — dubbed “Greenplexity” — to help countries identify opportunities for green growth at the United Nations’ COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday.
Net Zero Transportation Plan Discussed During Cambridge Community Meetings
The City of Cambridge invited residents to discuss the Net Zero Transportation Plan — an initiative aimed at removing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in Cambridge — in a two-day set of community meetings.
State Asks Cambridge Residents to Minimize Water Use Amid ‘Critical’ Drought
State officials banned nonessential outdoor water uses and asked Cambridge residents to minimize all other water use after declaring a level three “critical” drought status for the northeast region of Massachusetts on Thursday.
Harvard Researchers Shed New Light on Extent of Chemical Pollution in Wildlife
In an October study, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences discovered that fish can accumulate elevated levels of synthetic chemicals up to five miles away from the original source of pollution.
Harvard Researchers Suggest Green Hydrogen Will Remain Costlier Than Projected
Harvard researchers found in a recent study that prices for green hydrogen — hydrogen fuel created from sustainable energy sources — will remain high.
Harvard’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased by 2.3 Percentage Points in 2023
Harvard’s net greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.3 percentage points from 2022 even as it’s on track to meet its goal of becoming fossil fuel-neutral by 2026, per the University’s annual sustainability report.
Harvard Affiliates Denounce Fossil Fuel Funded Research at Reclaim Earth Day Rally
More than a dozen Harvard affiliates gathered Monday afternoon in the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park to protest fossil fuel research in an Earth Week event organized by Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard.
Adams House Announces Climate Funding Program for Student Projects
Adams House, one of Harvard’s twelve upperclassmen houses, launched Adams Works on Climate earlier this month — a two-year program to fund climate projects led by Adams residents.
Harvard Salata Institute Seed Grant Program Funds 27 Climate Research Projects
The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability is funding a new cohort of eight research projects through its Seed Grant Program, joining 19 other Harvard-based projects that have received funding this academic year.
Harvard FAS Increases Climate-Related Courses Following 2022 Report
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences has increased the number of climate-related courses across several disciplines and departments in recent years, following University-wide efforts to expand climate change-related courses in Harvard’s curriculum.
Harvard Endowment’s Fossil Fuel Investments Drop Below 2%
The Harvard Management Company — which stewards the University’s $50.7 billion endowment — reported the endowment’s investments in fossil fuels have fallen below 2 percent, as the University remains on pace to fully divest from the industry by 2050.
Harvard Horizons Scholar Looks to ‘Sound the Alarm’ on ‘Forever Chemicals’
Heidi M. Pickard, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, used her 2024 Harvard Horizons project to investigate environmental contamination and human exposure to highly-prevalent “forever chemicals.”
Controversial Harvard Geoengineering Project Abandoned After Advisory Committee Report
A controversial environmental geoengineering experiment led by Harvard Chemistry professor Frank N. Keutsch is officially no longer being pursued, according to a Monday statement from the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.