Harvard’s Home for Climate and Sustainability

data center viewed from the air
India farm with a hot sun

Harvard Climate Brief

El Nino sat image by NOAA

How we came to understand El Niño

For centuries, farmers, fishermen, and forecasters saw pieces of the same climate pattern. Modern observations revealed how a warming Pacific can reshape weather around the world. Now global warming is making some of those effects harder to predict.
Mon, Jun 22, 2026
coastal village in Côte d’Ivoire

Africa’s rising seas, mapped and measured coast-to-coast

A new tool lets users click anywhere on Africa’s shoreline to visualize how sea level has changed since 1900, what forces are driving the accelerating change, and how much more to expect by 2100.
Mon, Jun 15, 2026
Maine forest

The old forests nobody knew were there

Hidden in northern Maine, newly revealed old forests store vast amounts of carbon. But most remain unprotected on private timberland.
Mon, Jun 8, 2026

May’s heatwaves offer early warning for workers

As cities prepare for hotter summers, protecting people on the job will require enforceable rules, local action, and workers’ voices.
Thu, Jun 4, 2026
View All

Research Stories

Logo of the Global Climate Policy Project at Harvard and MIT

New Harvard-MIT tool will help leaders navigate climate policy choices 

The decision support tool helps governments evaluate domestic policy options and the benefits of joining or shaping carbon pricing coalitions.
News
Wed, Jun 17, 2026
Read More

Farmers adapt to climate change by irrigating more: New paper

Pumping groundwater can stress aquifers and make soils saltier, threatening future food production. 
News Harvard Research
Tue, Jun 9, 2026
Read More
sheep shearing

From waste wool to building insulation

A Harvard team is turning discarded wool into retrofit insulation that could help lower the carbon cost of building materials.
News Harvard Research
Tue, May 26, 2026
Read More
A figure from the PNAS paper

Fluid-filled smart windows cut heating and cooling costs

A new window design uses temperature-sensitive liquid patterns to shade rooms when they are hot and admit more sunlight when they are cool.
News Harvard Research Energy
Tue, May 26, 2026
Read More
India farm with a hot sun

Rethinking how India adapts to extreme heat

A new white paper from the Salata Institute’s Climate Adaptation in South Asia research cluster brings together perspectives from climate science, public health, labor, agriculture, design, and finance to examine how extreme heat is reshaping life and livelihoods across India.
News White Paper Harvard Research
Wed, Apr 15, 2026
Read More

Experiment asks: What helps trees resist climate change?

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Professor Jeannine Cavender-Bares investigates how biodiversity furthers forest resilience.
News
Wed, Apr 8, 2026
Read More

Heat waves and annual death rates in older adults in the United States

A new nationwide study of more than 73 million older Americans finds that heat waves are driving a substantial increase in deaths each year, with disproportionate impacts on Black and low‑income communities, while neighborhoods with more green space see lower death rates.
News Harvard Research
Tue, Mar 17, 2026
Read More

Seasonality and Declining Intensity of Methane Emissions

Harvard research group publishes paper characterizing seasonal changes in emissions and longer-term reductions in methane intensity in the U.S. Permian Basin.
Cluster Research News Methane
Thu, Mar 5, 2026
Read More
windmill at sunset, overlaid with graph indicating ups and downs

Harvard research: Half of U.S. public companies are now creating climate solutions

New research from Harvard Business School shows American companies are moving forward with investments in climate-related technologies and products, even as the federal government dials back its support. Read more via Harvard Business School.
News
Tue, Feb 10, 2026
Read More
A data center seen from above

AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: A Watershed Moment

A team of experts across Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) outlines the current state and potential consequences of U.S. data center electricity usage and corresponding grid expansion. Read more via the Belfer Center.
News
Tue, Feb 10, 2026
Read More
MethaneSAT satellite above earth

MethaneSAT Update: Oil & gas methane emissons exceed both reported inventories and industry goals

Take a first look at a system-wide view of oil and gas methane emissions. Read the latest from MethaneSAT via the MethaneSAT website.
News
Thu, Feb 12, 2026
Read More

Research Brief: Recent History of U.S. Methane Regulation

The Harvard Methane Initiative has released a new research brief, reviewing and analyzing the recent history of methane regulation in the United States.
Cluster Research News Methane
Wed, Jan 21, 2026
Read More

West African youth turn their lenses on climate change

A Salata Institute project is helping young photographers from the Gulf of Guinea learn to tell their stories of climate change.
Cluster Research News
Wed, Jan 21, 2026
Read More
a worker in India dealing with extreme heat

World Bank panel hears from Salata extreme heat researcher

New field evidence from India shows why heat risk is a health and income issue – and why solutions must be locally grounded.
Cluster Research News Harvard Research
Wed, Jan 7, 2026
Read More

Harvard Methane Initiative Director Robert Stavins Moderates Climate Week NYC Panel on “Methane-Emissions Abatement in the Oil & Gas Sector”

Experts at a Climate Week NYC panel highlighted how new technologies and data are enabling significant, cost-effective reductions in oil and gas methane emissions to quickly address climate change.
News Climate Week NYC Methane
Thu, Oct 2, 2025
Read More
View All

Upcoming Events

22
Jun
2026
Climate Adaptation in the Gulf of Guinea: Building Preferred Futures
Read More
22
Jun
2026
Alumni in Climate Networking Series: London Climate Action Week
Read More
23
Jun
2026
Abatement of Methane Emissions in the Oil & Gas Sector: Costs and Opportunities
Read More
View All

Latest News

El Nino sat image by NOAA

How we came to understand El Niño

For centuries, farmers, fishermen, and forecasters saw pieces of the same climate pattern. Modern observations revealed how a warming Pacific can reshape weather around the world. Now global warming is making some of those effects harder to predict.
Mon, Jun 22, 2026
Read More
Logo of the Global Climate Policy Project at Harvard and MIT

New Harvard-MIT tool will help leaders navigate climate policy choices 

The decision support tool helps governments evaluate domestic policy options and the benefits of joining or shaping carbon pricing coalitions.
News
Wed, Jun 17, 2026
Read More

Harvard at London Climate Action Week 2026

In London, Harvard researchers will advance real-world climate solutions, from global cooperation on carbon markets to new ways to find and stop methane leaks.
News
Tue, Jun 16, 2026
Read More
View All

The Salata Institute drives climate solutions grounded in Harvard’s many areas of research and expertise. Your philanthropic support can help us accelerate this important work and prepare the next generation of climate leaders.

Donate

Sign up for our
Newsletter

Subscribe