 Content Courtesy : Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Partnerships and Policy Influence
By Adrienne Day October 07, 2024On the heels of announcing its new MS in Climate degree program, the Columbia Climate School held its first-ever Climate School Showcase, as part of its programming for Climate Week. The purpose of the showcase was to highlight the Climate School’s mission to partner with organizations outside of Columbia to build climate solutions. The half-day event was held at the Forum, on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus, and was open to the public; the glass walls of the Forum a metaphor for visibility and inclusion. Foundations panelists, from left to right: Ruth DeFries; Vicki Ferrini; Mingfang Ting; Kara Lamb; Sheila Foster; Lisa Sachs. All photos: Steve Myaskovsky“This showcase is meant to highlight the Climate School’s cutting-edge research practice in climate science, finance and sustainability—a comprehensive approach, given [the situation’s] urgency,” Jeff Shaman, interim dean of the Columbia Climate School, told a packed house, kicking off a half days’ worth of panels and discussions. But research alone only goes so far, he said: The mission of the school—the first to be founded at Columbia University in 25 years—“is to partner with constituencies outside of the academy to develop solutions globally, and not just in the university environment,” Shaman said. The format of the showcase reflected this all-hands-on-deck approach. The panelists sat on the same level as audience members in order to foster an open dialog, and mingling was encouraged between discussions. The mood was serious and engaged, though there were frequent moments of levity. Ruth DeFries, chief academic officer at the Climate School, set the stage for the first discussion, Foundations: Climate Scholarship, Teaching and Practice. She looked at the all-female panel and quipped, “We do have amazing male scientists at the Climate School, too.” There was a visual notetaker to capture in real time all the ideas that emerged from the two panels, and to express the dynamic component of the collaborative work being done at the Climate School: an active coming together of research and action. See the timelapse videos of the notetaker’s work on foundations and actions.
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 Brown University Content Courtesy Brown University Brown University and Ivy Plus Sustainability Consortium
Brown University, along with other Ivy League institutions, is part of the Ivy Plus Sustainability Consortium. This group shares best practices and advances sustainability solutions across member institutions, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing campus-wide sustainability engagement.
Brown joins leading research universities’ pledge for climate actionPresident Paxson is among 12 university presidents who issued a joint commitment reaffirming progress on climate change. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Brown President Christina Paxson announced in an email June 5 to the campus community that she joined 11 other presidents of the country’s leading research universities in affirming a commitment to progress on climate change. The email and the joint university statement appear below. President Paxson’s Letter to the Brown Community (June 5, 2017)Members of the Brown Community, The White House last week announced its decision to remove the United States from the December 2015 Paris Agreement. The international accord on climate change aims to limit the rise in global warming to no more than 2 degrees centigrade through worldwide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The change in national policy, which is profoundly disappointing to so many, only deepens Brown’s commitment to advancing sustainability of life on our planet. As a university, we have taken important and substantive steps to do our part to advance climate solutions and to reduce the impact of climate change on the world’s population. I am writing to affirm that Brown remains deeply committed to these efforts. Today, I have signed the joint statement below with the leadership of other major research institutions declaring our alignment with the Paris Agreement and reaffirming our commitment to action to confront global warming. At Brown, our actions take a number of forms. Most relevant to the Paris accord, Brown approved in 2008 ambitious goals for reducing our carbon footprint, including a pledge to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent from 2007 levels by the year 2020. Our emissions have declined by 23 percent, despite substantial growth in the square footage of campus buildings. We continue to make new investments in our energy systems to meet our goal and, once attained, set a new goal for the next decade. Our commitment also is deeply integrated into education and research at Brown. Brown’s strategic plan, Building on Distinction, highlights “Sustaining Life on Earth” as a central area of academic investment. We are dedicated to producing the innovative research that is needed to transform energy systems, conserve fragile ecosystems, and protect humans from the many adverse consequences of climate change. And we will continue to use education as a powerful tool to spread this knowledge. Finally, as announced in April, we will establish a working group this fall to consider how Brown’s business and investment practices can be best aligned with our commitment to sustainability and, in particular, to reducing the threat of climate change. Brown will model best practices through our own conservation efforts. We will generate the data and evidence that supports policy change. We will produce the research and discovery that leads to cleaner energy, reduced emissions and better human health and wellbeing. And we will educate students who go on to influence the efforts of all sectors of society in the future. As always, our work will be grounded in scientific evidence and motivated by our drive to serve the community, the nation and the world. Christina Paxson President, Brown University Affirmation of Leading Research Universities' Commitment to Progress on Climate Change (June 5, 2017)In 2015, we were proud to be among 318 institutions of higher education in signing the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge, affirming our commitment to accelerate the global transition to low-carbon energy while enhancing sustainable and resilient practices on our campuses. Today we reaffirm that commitment, which is consistent with the Paris Agreement and recognizes the concerted action that is needed at every level to slow, and ultimately prevent, the rise in the global average temperature and to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy. Universities have a critical role to play in reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions, continuing to advance evidence-based understanding of the causes and effects of climate change on the environment, the economy and public health, and developing solutions. The scientific consensus is clear that the climate is changing largely due to human activity, that the consequences of climate change are accelerating, and that the imperative of a low carbon future is increasingly urgent. As institutions of higher education, we remain committed to a broad-based global agreement on climate change and will do our part to ensure the United States can meet its contribution. Christina Paxson, President, Brown University Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University Martha E. Pollack, President, Cornell University Philip J. Hanlon, President, Dartmouth College Richard H. Brodhead, President, Duke University John J. DeGioia, President, Georgetown University Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University Ronald J. Daniels, President, Johns Hopkins University L. Rafael Reif, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Marc Tessier-Lavigne, President, Stanford University Amy Gutmann, President, University of Pennsylvania Peter Salovey, President, Yale University For Reference: American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge (Fall 2015)“As institutions of higher education, we applaud the progress already made to promote clean energy and climate action as we seek a comprehensive, ambitious agreement at the upcoming United Nations Climate Negotiations in Paris. We recognize the urgent need to act now to avoid irreversible costs to our global community’s economic prosperity and public health and are optimistic that world leaders will reach an agreement to secure a transition to a low carbon future. Today our school pledges to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy while enhancing sustainable and resilient practices across our campus.”  Cornell University, Content Courtesy, Cornell University Cornell University Cornell is a leader in sustainability and aims for carbon neutrality by 2035. Their campus serves as a "living laboratory" for sustainability, with initiatives like renewable energy projects, waste reduction, and energy conservation.
Climate Action PlanCornell University has a history of leadership in both climate action and sustainability and is the first Ivy League university to sign the Carbon Commitment. Advancing sustainability aligns with Cornell’s academic and land grant missions, research expertise, and operations excellence.
We aspire to create best practices by demonstrating scalable low-carbon solutions on campus, advancing climate literacy and research initiatives, and accelerating impact through collaborative partnerships locally and globally. Locally, we are committed to:
The CAP strategies and actions are informed by two decision-making frameworks, our quadruple bottom-line sustainability framework (people, planet, prosperity, and purpose) and a carbon reduction hierarchy (avoid, reduce, replace, then offset through campus-based activities). |
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