Harvard’s Home for Climate and Sustainability

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Harvard Climate Brief

Close-up hands of a cocoa farmer use pruning shears to cut the cocoa pods or fruit ripe yellow cacao from the cacao tree. Harvest the agricultural cocoa business produces.

Chocolate’s new climate threat: Too much rain

Drought is not the only climate challenge facing cocoa farmers. Better warnings before extreme rains could help them protect their harvests.
Mon, Sep 14, 2026
boy on a boat in Ivory Coast

Seawalls and other hard choices on the shore

A cost-benefit analysis suggests that seawalls can buy Côte d’Ivoire time – but not a lasting answer.
Tue, Aug 18, 2026
hot sun in the city

When heat hits home: Climate change’s hidden and deadly toll

Buildings, housing conditions, and access to cooling shape the health risks of extreme heat. A study from Boston shows how the cost of buying and running air conditioning can leave high-risk residents without protection.
Mon, Aug 10, 2026
hand blocking sun

When a heat wave is coming, who is most at risk?

A free new tool makes cutting-edge data streams available to anyone, helping planners map where extreme heat, health risks, and vulnerability collide – block by block.
Wed, Jul 29, 2026
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Research Stories

Data centers in Ashburn, Virginia.

Study maps water footprint of AI data centers

As AI drives data-center growth, Harvard researchers show that data-center water use comes through two distinct pathways, offering a roadmap for smarter regulation, utility planning, and infrastructure decisions.
News Harvard Research
Mon, Jul 13, 2026
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An electric vehicle EV is charging

Simulating Impacts of Trump Policy Changes on Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption

Harvard economists evaluate the impacts of recent and potential policy changes on EV adoption and carbon emissions, using a joint model of consumer vehicle choice and charging station supply.
News White Paper Harvard Research
Mon, Jul 6, 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 Harvard Research Methane
Thu, Mar 5, 2026
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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
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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
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Upcoming Events

15
Sep
2026
Environment, Energy, & Sustainability: How to Find Jobs & Internships
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15
Sep
2026
Uncertainties in Processes for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection: Why Volcanoes Aren’t Enough and the Need for Field Experiments
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15
Sep
2026
Why Harvard Should Care About the Arctic: Community Networking Breakfast
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Latest News

Close-up hands of a cocoa farmer use pruning shears to cut the cocoa pods or fruit ripe yellow cacao from the cacao tree. Harvest the agricultural cocoa business produces.

Chocolate’s new climate threat: Too much rain

Drought is not the only climate challenge facing cocoa farmers. Better warnings before extreme rains could help them protect their harvests.
Mon, Sep 14, 2026
Read More

Beyond Paris: Building a Practical Climate Coalition

Aluminum, steel, and concrete are some of the most carbon-intensive industries, and many countries already have a tax on them. But not the United States. That fact hasn’t stopped the social scientists in the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Global Climate Policy from spearheading worldwide cooperation on carbon pricing.
News
Fri, Sep 11, 2026
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Climate and Sustainability Translational Fund

Apply now for this fund intended to advance faculty-led early-stage research projects towards realizing commercial potential.
News
Thu, Sep 10, 2026
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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.

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