Convened by the Climate Action Accelerator of the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University

Launched in spring 2025, the Harvard Climate Change and Transportation Systems Webinar Series is a monthly, virtual convening designed to explore how climate change intersects with the design, operation, and governance of transportation systems. Hosted by Professor Jason Beckfield of Harvard’s Department of Sociology and the Salata Institute Research Cluster on Strengthening Communities, the series invites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to engage with timely topics at the forefront of climate and mobility.

Each session is introduced and led by a Harvard researcher with guest speakers from across academia, government, and the transportation sector.

Goals of the Series:

• Equip state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and other infrastructure stakeholders with actionable tools and insights to support transportation planning for climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation.
  
• Support a growing community of transportation professionals committed to sustainable and equitable transportation systems.
  
• Create an avenue to bring practitioner-informed questions into academic research and dialogue, helping align real-world challenges with scholarly inquiry.

The 2025 webinars are available here. The 2024 webinars are available here.

This series reflects Harvard’s ongoing commitment to bridge academic research with public impact in support of sustainability.