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As part of Boston Climate Week, The Harvard University Biodiversity and Planetary Stewardship Initiative (HUBS) , anchored at the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, hosted a panel discussion and networking reception around the Future of Biodiversity. Biodiversity underpins our planet’s life support systems, yet views differ on why biodiversity matters. On one end of the spectrum, nature matters because it supports the well-being of people, primarily through natural capital (the “utilitarian” perspective). On the other end of the spectrum, the diversity of nature has an intrinsic value, given its 3.9 billion years of evolutionary history, most of that in the absence of humans (the “nature for nature” perspective). This panel explores these contrasting perspectives and how they can be reconciled. In doing so, we examine the roles and responsibilities humans bring to the table, whether it is protecting pristine environments, enjoying wildlife, or utilizing nature for its ecosystem services.

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Wed, May 20, 2026

Debates about solar geoengineering often move quickly to questions about whether the technology should be researched or eventually deployed. But those questions cannot be answered adequately if they are poorly framed. In this talk, Britta Clark, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program, examines several recurring errors in public and academic discussions of solar geoengineering. By bringing these errors into view, she aims to clear the way for a more precise, productive, and honest debate over the role of solar geoengineering in the energy transition.

Videos SGRP Repository

Tue, May 19, 2026

Featuring Jeaninne Cavender-Bares, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Director of the Harvard University Herbaria, this discussion examines how biodiversity shapes ecosystem responses to a changing climate and how advances in science can support global efforts to monitor and assess biodiversity and ecosystem services. This work underpins the recently launched Harvard University Biodiversity Initiative for Planetary Stewardship (HUBS), which brings together cross-disciplinary research to better understand, monitor, and sustain biodiversity to advance scalable solutions.

Videos Harvard Voices on Climate Change Repository

Wed, Apr 29, 2026

This session explores the science and measurement behind forest-based carbon emission reductions. Featuring Missy Holbrook, Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry, and Benton Taylor, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, the discussion examines how researchers measure carbon stored in forests and assess the role of forest conservation and restoration in climate mitigation.

Videos Harvard Voices on Climate Change Repository

Tue, Apr 14, 2026

In the speaker series Climate Action Clinic: Where Research meets Practice, we spotlight lessons learned from efforts to link knowledge and action in order to develop and advance durable, effective, and equitable solutions to the climate change and sustainability challenges confronting humanity. In this discussion, the University of Michigan's Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action Shalanda Baker presents an overview of the Michigan Futures Initiative, a framework designed to accelerate research impacts and respond to urgent climate and sustainability issues focusing on: law and policy for equitable climate and energy policy; education innovation for the next generation of climate leaders; economic impact and workforce development for a sustainable economy; industrial transformation; and systems change tackling the interconnected challenges of water, food, and energy systems.

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Wed, Apr 8, 2026

Public and private research on solar geoengineering is on the rise. Nearly all proposals for large-scale research or deployment envision that, given the scale and scope of interventions like stratospheric aerosol injection, some level of international cooperation or coordination is necessary for both success and moral license. Geoengineering more broadly faces the challenge by many opponents that even research, particularly large-scale outdoor experiments, risk “mitigation deterrence” — a moral hazard slowing the commitment to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gases both by particular countries and under accepted international regimes. Along with the rise in research on geoengineering, there has been a flurry of proposed resolutions and well-organized campaigns in multilateral forums to limit all deployment and some research on solar geoengineering, most prominently advocacy for a global Non-Use Agreement. In this talk, Andrew Light will explore the current landscape of international debates on climate engineering and then try to address the question of whether it is feasible to get sufficient international coordination to attempt some form of climate engineering, and the conditions that would be necessary for some measure of international acceptance of it, as well as the broader problem of how to address the ethical, even existential, challenges to large-scale research or deployment.

Videos SGRP Repository

Thu, Apr 2, 2026

A conversation with Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI), about his new book, The New Global Possible: Rebuilding Optimism in the Age of Climate Crisis. Drawing on insights from leaders around the world, Dasgupta explores how to orchestrate change at speed and scale—and how to rebuild optimism through innovative strategies, multilateral cooperation, and creative leadership at a moment of unprecedented climate urgency.

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Tue, Mar 17, 2026

Join the Salata Institute at Mignone Center for Career Success for an evening that explores scientific creativity and tangible career opportunities in Denmark. Learn how you can build a meaningful career in a thriving, collaborative research ecosystem through Danish Technical University and Science Hub Denmark. Discover how your next research step could take you to the heart of Europe's green and bioscience transition.

Videos Careers in Climate Action Repository

Wed, Mar 11, 2026

Videos Harvard Voices on Climate Change Repository

Thu, Feb 26, 2026

Cirrus clouds – thin, wispy, high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals – play a critical role in Earth’s radiation balance, reflecting incoming solar radiation while trapping outgoing longwave radiation. Because of this dual role, changes to cirrus clouds can result in either warming or cooling in nontrivial ways. The microphysical properties of cirrus clouds, such as the number, size, and shape of ice crystals, influence their radiative effects, and are also highly sensitive to environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and the presence of aerosols. While stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) aims to cool Earth's surface by scattering incoming solar radiation, the strategy’s impacts on cirrus microphysics remain poorly understood, potentially leading to unintended consequences. In this seminar, Prof. Zhiming Kuang gives an overview of his ongoing research on aerosol–cirrus interactions, combining high-resolution simulations, aircraft measurements, and machine learning to provide critical insights into the potential climate impacts of cirrus modification from SAI.

Videos SGRP Repository

Wed, Feb 18, 2026

The Salata Institute Climate and Sustainability Career Expo is a collaborative effort across Harvard schools and MIT to connect organizations focused on climate, sustainability, and the environment with Harvard undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni.

Videos Careers in Climate Action Repository

Tue, Feb 17, 2026

The federal government has thrown vehicle electrification initiatives into chaos - slashing EV tax credits, rescinding California’s Clean Air Act Waiver, and inserting uncertainty into the competitive grant process. But there is hope! Necessity is the mother of invention. Liya Rechtman from Evergreen Collaborative will share a suite of policy options for funding vehicle electrification. Harvard Business School Professor Christian Kaps shares new research on reducing range anxiety, and Maryland Department of Transportation’s Director of Electric Vehicles Morgan Ellis provides a read-out on state leadership, innovation, and successes in deployment.

Videos Transportation Repository

Tue, Dec 2, 2025

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The Future of Biodiversity: Reconciling Nature and Economics

SGRP Lunch Talk: Thinking Well About Solar Geoengineering

Harvard Voices on Climate Change: Biodiversity and Climate Resilience

Harvard Voices on Climate Change: Measuring Forest-Based Carbon Emission Reductions

The Michigan Futures Initiative: A Climate Solutions Accelerator at the University of Michigan

SGRP Lunch Talk: Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible?

BOOK TALK: Rebuilding Optimism in the Age of Climate Crisis with Ani Dasgupta

Careers in Climate Action Series: Rethinking Science Communication

Harvard Voices on Climate Change: Mapping the Future of Renewable Energy

SGRP Lunch Talk with Zhiming Kuang

Salata Institute Climate and Sustainability Career Expo (2025)

Sustainable Transportation Webinar Series: Paying for Electric Vehicles