Twelve additional PhD students from across the university will receive the Stella M. Hammond Planetary Solutions Fellowship.

Most people have heard about the human microbiome, but what about the microbiomes of trees? 

On a sunny day last September, students in Yale’s “Sustainable Implementation” course traded Sage Hall for a humming material recovery facility.

Moving from cutting-edge scientific expertise and strong operational know-how to building critical commercial project elements.

As the global housing crisis grows, an estimated 3 billion people will need access to adequate housing by 2030. 

Dengue virus is reaching more people than ever, with a troubling and dramatic rise in cases over the past two decades.

As the need for renewable energy sources becomes more urgent, scientists are exploring ways to turn carbon dioxide into liquid fuels.

For the fifth year, YPS has awarded grants to projects pursuing novel solutions to urgent climate and environmental challenges. 

This spring, the inaugural cohort of Yale Planetary Solutions fellows wrapped up their first year in the two-year program.

The Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS) and Yale Planetary Solutions held Biodiversity Day on April 28, 2026.

Building on last year’s launch, Sci X Sci‑Fi 2026 brought together designers, filmmakers, and writers to explore thriving futures. 

A nascent group of researchers sees planetary health as an urgent reason to bridge the molecular and planetary scales. 

As a part of the 2026 Sci X Sci-Fi program, Yale Planetary Solutions is hosting a flash fiction contest for New Haven college students. 

A redesigned workspace is building community, flexibility, and a more sustainable approach to campus.

A roundup of the accomplishments we’re most excited about from 2025.

More than 50 alumni from YSE and the Jackson School of Global Affairs were involved in discussions and negotiations at COP30.

The Graduate Conference in Religion & Ecology is an interdisciplinary conference held by Yale Divinity School and Yale School of the Environment.

Explore Yale’s presence at COP30 in Brazil through photos and summaries from attendees.

Are you passionate about connecting science and policy? Join the Yale Science Policy Hill Day Program!

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is calling for nominations of Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors.

Four alumni perspectives wove together in a rich conversation on how to re-imagine city life for prosperous people and a healthy planet.

The Frontiers Planet Prize–three prizes of $1 million every year–is awarded to research with the greatest potential to address the ecological crisis.

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Yale welcomed partners from the city, state, and region to campus as the university launched a new strategic planning process.

At a two-day summit held during Climate Week NYC, the Yale Club of New York City was transformed into a hub of action and collaboration.

Submit materials you would like showcased at Yale’s exhibit in Brazil this November for COP30.

A new study evaluated how NO₂-related health impacts vary across U.S. counties based on race, ethnicity, and income. 

Joining a growing portfolio of Yale Ventures funds, the new accelerator will provide funding, mentorship, and commercialization support.

Yale community and ELTI’s network of environmental practitioners were empowered to come together to learn how to protect our most precious landscapes.

Former United States senator and secretary of state John Kerry is the first presidential climate envoy. 

That package at your door. It begins with power-guzzling server farms. Gargantuan distribution centers. Tens of thousands of trucks. 

A collection of StoryMaps created by student teams during the Geospatial Learning Accelerator taught in Dr. Maria Moreno’s Biology Laboratory.

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View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

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View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

View current Yale courses related to this action area.

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Over the course, students will build community, learn together, and make positive impacts across a wide range of challenges. 

New US Academic Alliance for the IPCC opens critical nomination access.

Hoofprint is a geospatial research project producing state-level land use maps to visualize the outsized impacts of animal agriculture.

An Analysis of Air Quality Disparities Between New Haven’s Dwight and East Rock Neighborhoods.

Building a Community of Scholars in Sustainable Fashion

Fall 2023: Yale Divinity School broke ground on the Living Village, the largest living-building residential complex on any university campus.

The fellowship will support a cohort of ambitious Yale doctoral students whose work contributes to the YPS mission. 

In partnership with YPS, the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture was launched in 2021 to develop nature-based solutions to climate change.

From ancient agriculture to cutting-edge AI, the funded proposals were selected from the most competitive applicant pool in the program’s history.

Climate change is not just a planetary-scale issue, but also a cellular-scale one.

The inaugural “Sci X Sci-Fi” series kicked off with a reading by science fiction author and science journalist Annalee Newitz.

Imagining a City’s Future by Studying Its Past

YPS launched Impact! Awards with Yale College and GSAS to support teams of students, faculty, and staff pursuing small-scale projects.

Sci X Sci-Fi, March 31-April 3

Aligning climate finance with real economy needs and demographic realities.

We are excited to have Alex Reich as Director of Research & Impact, and Ashley Baker as Program Manager for Engagement & Implementation.

A partnership between Yale & the City of New Haven is supporting mural projects by local artists, calling community attention to the climate threat.

Yale Blue Green, an alumni shared interest group, helped Yale Planetary Solutions produce a packed week of programming.

YPS first climate summit during Climate Week in New York City, highlighting the university community’s work to address climate change.

How can policymakers balance global climate agreements with local conditions? How can scientists shape policy?

Yale’s top leaders on Tuesday kicked off a four-day summit in New York that underscores the university’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

In this letter, the president discusses Yale’s efforts to combat climate change.

Nine Early-Stage Startups from Yale Climate Tech Ecosystem Pitch Groundbreaking Innovations to Address the Climate Crisis in Collaboration with Yale.

Yale Planetary Solutions has awarded seed grants to research projects pursuing novel solutions to urgent climate and environmental problems.

Toby Bryce, new managing director at the YCNCC, says the center is already having an impact with field-leading research.

The Yale Bird-Friendly Building Initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of bird-friendly design to reduce deadly collisions.

Can we remove microplastics from the oceans using artificial intelligence?

Yale is preparing for a future where every building on campus will be highly energy efficient and capable of meeting its various housing needs.

Two new reports examine opportunities to improve and advance regenerative agriculture practices in order to combat climate change and more.

In a Q&A, Yale’s Julie Zimmerman describes progress made by the Yale Planetary Solutions initiative.

An interdisciplinary partnership supported by Yale Planetary Solutions is inspiring local awareness and local solutions in the face of the climate.

2018 report prioritized environmental science & climate engineering investments amid unprecedented human-accelerated environmental changes.

Professor Ryan explores the challenges low- and middle-income countries face in expanding access to energy.

The recent UN climate summit in Dubai was a chance for a group of Yale climate fellows to reunite — and to dig into climate solutions globally.

At COP28, Yale faculty emphasized a multidisciplinary approach to climate action, from green trade to low-carbon materials and clean innovation.

Delegates from across Yale will join global leaders, representatives, scholars, and activists at COP28.

On November 30, Yale and New Haven community members gathered at Kroon Hall for a climate café event to kick off COP28.

Featuring five events over two days, the Summit will convene Nobel laureates, federal officials, members of the Yale community, and esteemed scholars.

Drought, flooding, wildfires, and extinctions are reminders of a rapidly changing planet and the need for bold and urgent action.

Yale Divinity School on Wednesday broke ground on an ambitious residence hall that is expected to give back more to the environment than it takes.

Julie Zimmerman speaks on Yale’s commitment to responding to global challenges including climate change, biodiversity, and planetary health.

Researchers from NOAA, NASA, Yale, and others are studying how air pollution sources have evolved over time.

YaleSites’ Blocks were carefully designed to be in compliance with federal standards, reinforcing the university’s commitment to inclusion.

We’ve taken great care to ensure Yale’s typefaces are perfectly balanced, so even text-only content shines when you use the platform.

The new Center for Geospatial Solutions will enhance Yale’s research, training, and infrastructure in the field of geospatial science.

In its second year, the Planetary Solutions Project seed grant program distributed over $1.5 million to 23 projects building novel solutions.

The 2023 New Horizons in Conservation Conference was both a barometer of progress achieved and of still-significant challenges.

A new Superfund Research Center (SRC) at Yale will conduct extensive analysis of emerging water contaminants that have been linked to liver cancer.

In April, Yale University awarded nearly $1.5 million to 21 proposals in its inaugural round of Planetary Solutions Project seed grants.

Research on the saltiness of Earth’s ancient oceans may spice up our understanding of how life, atmosphere, and climate evolved on the planet.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Energy has YSE Professor Ken Gillingham examining what influences the decisions Americans are making.

Widespread megaherbivore extinctions 50,000 to 60,000 years ago had a major impact on grassland ecosystems. 

The School will break ground in 2023 on the first phase of the unprecedented off-the-grid student housing.*

Rewilding, restoring, and conserving endangered and threatened species could magnify carbon uptake by 1.5 to 12.5 times or more across the world.

The conference, organized by the Yale Center for Environmental Justice and held October 29, focused on theories of change in energy and food justice.

Six student teams were recently awarded Climate Innovation Grants by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY).

This semester Susan Biniaz taught students how to navigate thorny negotiations leading up to this week’s UN climate summit.

Dozens of Yale students, faculty, and staff taking part in critical decision-making & discussions on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

A major renovation at Yale’s West Campus concluded this fall with the expansion of the Energy Sciences Institute (ESI) into consolidated space.

Study finds that Indigenous nations across the United States have lost 98.9% of their historical land base.

Known as the “father of green chemistry,” Anastas transformed the chemical industry by showing that smart design can prevent environmental harm.

The new findings from a multi-institutional research team reflect the potential of climate models for predicting complex environmental dynamics.

A commercial land-based coral farm founded by YSE alumni Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern recently won the inaugural Earthshot Prize.

A new study co-authored by Yale  reconstructs the evolutionary relationships among species to find evidence of tree-dwelling primates’ survival.

Animals have been tracked from air and space for decades, with ever-greater success as the number of satellites circling the planet multiplied. 

An interview with Ann Grodnik-Nagle, Strategic Advisor, Climate Adaptation and Built Environment, Seattle Public Utilities.

Yale’s Fischer will lead the NSF’s mission to set national astrophysics science priorities and guide and support ongoing research.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the Republic of Botswana visited Yale and signed a agreement to advance sustainable natural resource management.

Urbanization trends in the Himalaya are exposing more people to risk from compound hazards such as flooding, landslides and wildfires.

We discuss some climate solutions, including carbon capture, oysters, and granting rights to rivers and lakes.

By improving the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings, the emissions generated from heating and cooling them could be reduced.

Ten rivers are responsible for half of the riverine mercury entering the world’s oceans — with the Amazon River, the Ganges, and the Yangtze leading.

Yale economists are part of a team of researchers who have collaborated on a cap-and-trade system to reduce pollution in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Climate and health experts Dr. Laura Bozzi and Dr. Narasimha Rao break down what it means to “build back better” from the pandemic. 

A new Yale study suggests that aerosols in the atmosphere may be temporarily holding down ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific.

Narasimha Rao speaks on how poverty eradication could help reduce energy needs and enable sustainable growth in developing economies.

A Yale study examined geochemical data from over 600 sediment samples around the globe to document the evolution of how Earth regulated its climate.

Yale researchers have found a solution to the challenge of creating gyroidsin a bird’s wing.

MPYC is offering 2 grant opportunities to support engagement with our partners around biodiversity movement and global change.

Experts Dan Esty and Miranda Massie break down one of the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. 

The University pledged to achieve zero actual carbon emissions by 2050 and shared the first list of companies now ineligible for investment.

Climate change is affecting all of us. But, like many other challenges in society, it’s hurting communities of color the most.

In the first episode, Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder and director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University introduces us to the series.

Researchers discovered a massive die-off of sharks roughly 19 million years ago.

Sustainable healthcare and industry experts Dr. Jodi Sherman and Dr. Todd Cort introduce us to the green future of healthcare.

Tick bites are no joke. Here’s how to prevent them and protect yourself.

The Yale School of the Environment redesigned its swag to prioritize sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Professor Daniel Esty says the creation of sustainable business models is the next revolutionary ‘megatrend’.

The recent increase in electric vehicle adoption is due largely to technological improvements such as increased battery range and faster charging.

Narasimha Rao’s examines the relationship between energy systems, climate change & human society, and the the importance of more inclusive modeling.

Researchers analyzed 145 million years’ worth of data that may offer a jarring glimpse of the fate of marine life over the next few centuries.

Yale School of Architecture Dean Deborah Berke discusses “architecture of the greater good,” increasing diversity in the profession.

A Yale-led study provides the earliest evidence to date of ancient humans significantly altering entire ecosystems with flames.

Tropical cloud forests exist in 60 countries, account for less than a half of 1% of all land mass on Earth but are home to 15% of the world’s species.

YSE Class of ’21 Cam Humphrey seeks to elevate voices on the periphery in environmental policy. 

Studying the evolution of biological soft matter and the mechanisms by which they assembled, may lead to creating new biofuels, chemicals & materials.

Buildings account for 40% of global energy use and 25% of water consumption. The Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture hopes to change that.

New Horizons Conference highlights challenges, emerging voices, and reasons for optimism in environmental justice.

Yale School of Nursing subject matter expertise in climate change, planetary and human health, and urban planning for modern cities & health systems.

As of fiscal year 2024, Yale has reduced net emissions by 28% since 2015, despite a 14% increase in campus size. 

Three small, white domes will soon be able to tell Dwight neighbors exactly how much pollution is floating around their neighborhood.

The Yale Board of Trustees approved a new set of ethical investment principles for decisions concerning companies producing fossil fuels.

In China, highly educated people are more likely to move away from areas with poor air quality.

Atmospheric methane has tripled since pre-industrial times trapping heat far more  than carbon dioxide and accounts for 25% of atmospheric warming.

“We’re seeing the impacts of a changing climate. The past is no longer a great predictor of the future.”

Yale chemist Hailiang Wang, whose lab creates small-molecule and nanomaterial catalysts, had a breakthrough from an idea he received from a Yale alum.

A wide range of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids crucial for human health, are lacking in ecosystems where aquatic species have been reduced.

Ken Gillingham assesses the climate-focused initiatives embedded in Biden Administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure package.

YSE professor Yuan Yao and Liangbing Hu from the University of Maryland, has created a high-quality bioplastic from wood byproducts. 

Yale School of the Environment alumna Georgia Silver Seamans who tells us stories of connecting with nature in the concrete jungle of NYC.

Efficiencies in new home construction have greatly contributed to decreases in energy consumption and residential greenhouse gas emissions.

A startup that makes compostable and recycled shipping mailers took home the largest share of prize money at Startup Yale 2021.

A $100 million gift from FedEx will help fund a new center at Yale University focused on developing natural solutions for reducing atmospheric carbon.