Climate and Ecosystem Change

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Correcting Our Course

As the climate changes, so do the earth's ecosystems. Through the work of the Climate Consortium and other initiatives, Penn State researchers work to understand, model, and manage the risks of anthropogenic, or human-driven, climate change.

From Research to Impact

Managing the risks of anthropogenic climate change poses significant challenges both now and in the future. Warmer and more extreme weather events will increase the risk of natural disturbances, increase the burden of pests and pathogens, threaten public health, and expose vulnerabilities in critical infrastructural systems. The burden of climate resilience and adaptation will fall unequally and inequitably, burdening people of color and rural and poor communities disproportionately.

Penn State has the critical mass to be a world leader in climate and ecosystem change. IEE’s commitment to supporting interdisciplinary research in energy and the environment means we have a unique opportunity to identify solutions to these impacts across natural, social, and built systems. 

Major initiatives within this theme include but are not limited to climate variability and change, ecosystem productivity and biodiversity, stressors and resilience, food and water security, and polar science.


    Penn State is dedicating research and its own activities to do everything possible to reduce carbon emissions. Penn State researchers, staff, and students are already addressing the challenges brought on by carbon emissions. It is Penn State's commitment to continue this important work.

    Climate and Ecosystem Change Research

     

    Featured IEE Researchers

    Professor, Biology
    Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Climate and Ecosystem Change News

    Featured Stories

    Q&A: Searching for life where it shouldn’t exist

    | psu.edu

    A team of Penn State scientists is working to solve one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries: how life originated on Earth — and how it might have evolved on other planets.

    2024 IEE Seed Grant Program accepting proposals on climate-related projects

    | psu.edu

    Proposals for climate-related projects are now being accepted for the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s 2024 Seed Grant Program.

    Climate Solutions Symposium

    The climate crisis is here. It is impacting big cities and small communities in unprecedented and disproportionate ways. The crisis will continue unless we develop transdisciplinary solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience now. 

    With Penn State’s excellence in climate change research as the backdrop, the two-day Penn State Climate Solutions Symposium highlighted innovations from numerous disciplines through dynamic workshops, keynote talks from leaders in the climate solutions space, and a poster session. The event also featured opportunities for attendees to network with like-minded individuals who are seeking climate solutions as collaborators, funders, or implementers.