Launching the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth

Dear Members of the University Community,

Today, the University of Chicago is formally launching its long-awaited climate institute with a day-long series of programs. The planning for this institute began more than two years ago upon the recommendation of a faculty committee that reported that more than one eighth of their colleagues had identified topics related to climate and energy as one of their primary research interests. Since then, a diverse group of faculty have developed an ambitious and distinctive plan to support this broad interest. The plan will leverage the University’s strengths and resources to improve society’s understanding of the challenges of climate and energy. Scholarship will enhance understanding and surface solutions that will address the impacts of human activity on the climate, while continuing to advance human health, prosperity, and growth. With this mission in mind, it will be named the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. 

 Addressing the twin challenges of climate and sustainable growth in individual societies and globally is both urgent and of immense difficulty. That is why we are creating a place where members of our community can work together to integrate ideas from across disciplines in surprising ways, to ask hard questions, and to engage in serious debate. Success also depends on us being willing to take risks and to bring rigor to every aspect of our scholarly efforts.   

The Institute is a testament to this commitment. It is designed to encourage faculty from across campus to participate, and with today’s launch, the Institute is announcing a first set of grants to support such collaborations. The Institute also supports three research pillars: economics and policy, energy technologies, and the new discipline of climate systems engineering. This comprehensive program will be accompanied by a new set of educational offerings that encompass all levels of the University from the College, to master’s, professional, and certificate and executive programs.   

Already, the strength of the vision for the Institute has drawn an extraordinary response. I am pleased to share that a number of philanthropic partners have committed to providing early support to the Institute. I look forward to sharing more about those gifts in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, I encourage you to learn more about the Institute and its work.

Sincerely,
Paul

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Paul Alivisatos
President