Climate Change Resources
Global Climate Change
Nearly all of us contribute directly to global warming by using energy produced by the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas. Rather than providing an exhaustive list of the literature surrounding the issue of global warming, this page recommends some of the most authoritative climate change resources as well as ones that are closely related to Harvard University and the Cambridge, MA, communities.
Government Action
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988. The IPCC recently released three comprehensive scientific assessments of climate change, all of which are available on its website.
The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates research by many federal agencies "to help understand, assess and predict global change." USGCRP has compiled a National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Global Warming Site provides a clear introduction to the topic and many useful links. Information about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate change impacts and funding opportunities for GHG reduction projects in Massachusetts are compiled here. Read about efforts by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other states to address climate change and to promote a strong nationwide strategy.
The City of Cambridge, Harvard's home, has joined the U.S. Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCP). In December 2002, the Cambridge City Council approved a Climate Protection Plan, which includes community-based strategies to reduce GHG emissions to 20-percent below 1990 levels by 2010.
The Harvard Connection
Many groups at Harvard are working on the issue of climate change. Here a just a few:
- Harvard Green Campus Initiative
- Harvard University Center for the Environment
- Center for Health and the Global Environment
- Forum for Science and Technology for Sustainability
- Center for International Development
- Forest and Atmospheric Measurements
- The Anderson Group
- Harvard Seminar on Environmental Values: Climate Talks Project
Other Resources for Climate Change Action & Information
- Union of Concerned Scientists: Global Warming
- World Resources Institute on Global Climate Change
- National Resources Defense Council on Global Climate Change
- Worldwatch Institute: Climate
- Pew Center on Global Climate Change
- World Wildlife Fund on Global Climate Change
- Climate Change and Environmental Justice
- Green House Network
- Climate Solutions: Practical Solutions to Global Warming
Your Personal Contribution
Calculate your contribution to global climate change:
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