Welcome
Our Path Forward
A Mission for Planetary Solutions
Yale Planetary Solutions seeks to drive planetary solutions through all that Yale is, from our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, to our buildings, collections, and campus, and all that Yale does—teaching, learning, researching, building, operating, convening, investing, and leading.
Yale is committed to generating innovative ideas in support of a thriving planet, and Yale Planetary Solutions is the north star for our efforts. With clean air and water and resilient ecosystems, we can realize a future that benefits people and the planet.
Impact
What We’ve Accomplished So Far
YPS aims to engage the entire Yale community and the world at large, through support for diverse course offerings, signature programming and fellowships, the development of new academic centers, and a presence at major climate-focused events, conferences, and convenings.
As a research institution with a liberal arts approach, Yale has the ability not only to discover, test, and deliver on new strategies and technologies to accelerate progress on global climate problems, but also to convene leadership, promote implementation, and persuade governments and the public to support these innovative solutions.
News & Updates
Celebrating YPS-Supported Impact! Projects
Small, dynamic teams are pursuing small-scale projects focused on planetary solutions challenges. The selected projects are exploring variation in local air quality, sustainable fashion consumption, and documentation of New Haven’s environmental history.
With Climate Targets in Mind, Yale Gets ‘Zero Carbon Ready’
Yale is preparing for a future where every building on campus will be highly energy efficient and capable of meeting its needs for heating, cooling, and electricity without the use of fossil fuels.
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No single discipline can solve the complex environmental challenges we face—climate change and biodiversity loss, health and economic disruption—at the pace required. By identifying productive connections across disciplines, the Planetary Solutions Project can accelerate the development of approaches that work.
About
Solutions to Match the Scale of the Problems
At Yale, we are developing ways to improve life now, and for the next 10, 20, and 100 years. We must reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, save species from extinction, create and deploy affordable clean energy, and enact political, economic, health, and legal changes that establish just, equitable systems across the globe.
Work
Insights from One Field Drive Breakthroughs in Another
By bringing Yale’s exceptional capabilities together, we can make progress on the most daunting challenges human civilization has ever faced. We are exploring artificial photosynthesis to turn sunlight into liquid fuel. We are using genetic techniques to help threatened species adapt to rapid environmental changes. We are identifying nature-based methods of capturing carbon. And we are integrating diverse data streams to build policy tools supporting global climate action.
News & Updates
Yale sets New Carbon Reduction Targets, Takes Divestment Steps
Yale plans to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050, and net zero emissions by 2035 after offsets and other campus reductions in emissions are factored in.
Moving Toward an Inclusive Architecture
“Given the global climate crisis, an architecture of the greater good is concerned about our shared environmental future.” In this interview, Deborah Berke, dean of the School of Architecture, describes new sustainability and diversity work at the school.
Events
| Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - 9:00am | Climate Week NYC 2025 |