Environment
Planning for an ‘Uncertain’ Future, Cambridge Unveils Climate Resilience Plan
The City of Cambridge released a report on the effects of climate change on the city and long-term recommendations for climate resilience.
‘God Only Knows’: As Sea Level Rise Threatens Harvard and Greater Boston Area, Experts Mull Mitigation Strategy
As global temperatures steadily increase, experts predict that the resulting sea level rise and flooding will encroach on the Greater Boston Area — including Harvard’s campus.
Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry Discusses Climate Crisis as National Security Threat at HKS Conference
John F. Kerry, former Secretary of State and current Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, joined intelligence experts and other stakeholders at a Harvard Kennedy School conference on the geopolitical, intelligence, and national security implications of climate change on Friday.
White House National Climate Advisor and Activists Address Student Climate Conference
The deputy White House climate advisor discussed how the Biden administration will tackle climate change during one of the administration's first speaking engagements on climate change this year in a webinar hosted by the Student Climate Conference at Harvard.
SEAS Researchers Postpone Test Flight for Controversial Geoengineering Project To Block Sun
Harvard researchers announced Wednesday they will postpone a test flight for a controversial environmental engineering project — the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, known as “SCoPEx” — after pushback from an Indigenous peoples’ group in Sweden.
Harvard Researchers Develop Cheaper Method For Renewable Energy Storage
In a step forward for renewable energy storage, researchers in Harvard’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology have accomplished the continuous splitting of impure water into pure hydrogen and oxygen gas by leveraging a process called forward osmosis, according to an article published earlier this month.
Michelle Wu '07 in Dorchester
City Councilor Michelle Wu '07 surveys flooding at Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester. As climate change causes sea level rise, these flooding events will become more common.
Michelle Wu '07 with Daniel Faber and Nina A. Schlegel
Wu poses with Nina A. Schlegel, the lead author of her Green New Deal policy, pre-pandemic.
Michelle Wu Standout
A supporter holds a sign at a standout event in Brighton's Oak Square in February.
Michelle Wu '07 Ice Cream Social
Wu talks to community members at a Roslindale ice cream social in 2019.
Sunrise Movement
Young people march for climate action at a Sunrise Movement protest. Sunrise is a national organization working to stop climate change and create green jobs.
David A. Noiles
David A. Noiles is the Director of the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Program (REEP), which works to empower youth around environmental justice campaigns.
Harvard Falls Short on 2020 Goals to Reduce Waste and Water Use
Despite reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions, Harvard failed to meet 2020 waste and water reduction goals set forth by the University’s 2014 Sustainability Plan.
Researchers Connect Antarctic Melt and Northern Hemisphere Sea Level Shift
Climate researchers discovered that changes in Northern Hemisphere sea levels contribute to the shrinking of the Antarctic ice sheet, according to a study published in Nature on Nov. 25.
Freshmen Rally for Divest Harvard Movement
The rally was organized by freshmen who are members of the student group Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard to re-emphasize the group’s commitment to the movement, even during the pandemic.
Harvard Forest Researchers Identify Maple Trees as Possible Foundation Species
Scientists from the Harvard Forest and the Wuhan Botanical Garden have identified several species of maple trees as potential foundation species in Chinese and North American forests.
Creating a Breathable Boston
Linear forests are different from normal trees that dot roads because of their robust root systems and long lifespans. “You dig out a long linear trench and stuff as many trees in there as possible,” Schwartz explains. “You can plant 300 trees in six parking spaces.”
Harvard School of Public Health Research Find Increased Airborne Radiation Near Fracking Sites
Petros Koutrakis, an environmental sciences professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health, and his research team published a study last week presenting evidence of increased levels of airborne radiation in areas within 12 miles of United States hydraulic fracturing sites.
HKS Prof. Aldy Talks Clean Energy, Economic Policy at Belfer Center Webinar
Harvard Kennedy School professor Joseph E. Aldy discussed how policymakers can learn from past models to maximize the impact of current American energy legislation at a Monday webinar hosted by the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Experts Say Harvard May Encounter ‘Pitfalls’ On its Way To A Greenhouse Gas-Neutral Endowment
Harvard pledged last month to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its endowment by 2050. But experts say a number of intermediate steps may pose logistical and environmental challenges for the University.
Harvard Forms Presidential Committee on Sustainability
Harvard has created a “Presidential Committee on Sustainability” to advise University President Lawrence S. Bacow and other top administrators, the University announced Monday.
Divest Harvard Calls University’s Carbon-Neutral Endowment Commitment 'Insufficient'
Divest Harvard, a student group calling on the University to divest from the fossil fuel industry, argues that Harvard’s commitment to making its endowment carbon-neutral by 2050 falls short of achieving their goal of total withdrawal from the industry.
Harvard Faculty Mixed on Carbon-Neutral Endowment Commitment
Though most faculty members support the University’s commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its endowment by 2050, they are divided over whether the plan — announced on Tuesday — goes far enough.
Harvard Environmental Science Faculty and Experts Split on Divestment
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Medical School Faculty Council passed resolutions in February calling for Harvard to divest its endowment from fossil fuel companies, but faculty who study environmental science say they are split on whether divestment would be effective in combatting climate change.