All Hands on Deck for Harvard Climate Action Week

The climate crisis touches every discipline we teach, research, and learn here at Harvard University. That’s why every School at Harvard is home to students and scholars working to meet the climate challenge. Harvard Climate Action Week, May 8 –12, 2023, is a celebration and acceleration of that work. Led by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability and hosted by Schools and centers across Harvard, Harvard Climate Action Week will convene thousands of experts, decision-makers, students, alumni, and scholars across campus and online.

News

Feb 13, 2023

Action Accelerator

Mid view of the ornate gate in the Harvard Campus

Climate Action Accelerator

Explore Harvard Climate Action Week Events Here.

Harvard Climate Action Week participants will explore areas of climate research and action across Harvard through more than a dozen events, including:

Setting our global economy on a cleaner, safer, more equitable climate path:

The Salata Institute’s Climate Action Accelerator will host the first Harvard Climate Symposium — the flagship event of Harvard Climate Action Week — on May 9^th. Hundreds of leaders from government, business, civil society, and academia will work together on strategies to dramatically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. This Symposium will be the first major event of the Salata Institute’s Climate Action Accelerator. Through convenings like this one, the Salata Institute’s Climate Action Accelerator will serve as both a resource and a partner to leaders around the world seeking to meet the climate challenge.

Fostering the next generation of climate leadership:

At the first annual Harvard Climate Leadership Summit on May 8^th, student leaders from across Harvard will launch a student-led platform for collaboration in the climate space. “Creating the Climate Future: Harvard Climate Leadership Summit” will convene students and decision-makers across industry, government, and civil society to cultivate a rising generation of climate leadership.

Climate change, human health, and inequality:

Climate change is having profound effects on human health and deepening inequalities around the globe. “Climate, Health, & Equity: Toward a Sustainable Future,” hosted on May 8^th by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will bring together leading researchers and policy makers to explore the interplay between planetary and public health — with a rigorous focus on solutions. Keynote speaker Heather McTeer Toney, vice president for community engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund, will end the program with a clarion call for climate justice.

Building a more resilient future for schools:

On May 10^th, the Harvard Graduate School of Education will host “Building our Resilient Future: Education Driving Hope, Innovation, and Action.” This event will highlight an action-oriented agenda for the education sector with innovation and engagement as drivers for climate resilience and mitigation. Participants will hear how schools and communities are already making an impact in confronting climate change by altering their use of resources, creating exciting learning opportunities, and advancing equity in community approaches. Participants will explore ways to accelerate progress, to spur collective effort, and to act with urgency – and share stories of where they are finding hope and momentum now.

Growing in a green world:

The Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM) — the flagship event of the Harvard Center for International Development — brings together leaders, thinkers, and doers from development, government, business, and philanthropy. On May 10 – 11, GEM 2023: Growing in a Green World will explore different dimensions of climate change, with a particular lens on both challenges and opportunities emerging from developing countries.

And more:

Read more about this exciting week of events here.