Will Langhorne, Contributing Photographer

The Yale Planetary Solutions program is hosting a four-day summit as part of Climate Week NYC, showcasing an array of speakers, performances and workshops.

In collaboration with the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale @ Climate Week NYC is taking place at the Yale Club of NYC. The summit is part of the larger Climate Week NYC, an international conference to drive climate action that began in 2009.

Julie Zimmerman, Yale’s inaugural vice provost for Planetary Solutions, wrote to the News that the events will bring together multidisciplinary knowledge from across the University. 

“Based on the first couple of days, we are hearing clear and consistent messages that the climate crisis is an existential threat – and that we must act with urgency to meet this challenge – and that we CAN do what needs to be done to manage the unavoidable consequences and avoid the unmanageable consequences,” Zimmerman wrote.

Yale Planetary Solutions, founded in 2020, facilitates climate and biodiversity work at the University.

University President Maurie McInnis and Provost Scott Strobel delivered opening remarks at the event.

McInnis spoke about the climate solutions Yale is pursuing on campus such as renovating buildings and investing in geothermal energy systems.

“In my first weeks as Yale’s president, one of the first things I did was put on a hard hat and begin touring the facilities that are currently under construction,” she said. “It became clear to me during these visits that while we were enhancing our physical footprint in New Haven, we were doing so with a commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”

McInnis said that she hopes Yale can serve as a “test bed” for climate strategies that then translate into global action.

Strobel wrote to the News that one goal of Yale Planetary Solutions is to foster partnerships between higher education and industries, the government and NGOs.

“Our approach is to harness and convene expertise from all disciplines and all fields across the university to transform knowledge into action,” Strobel wrote. “We don’t have time to waste, and we must catalyze all the energy and knowhow we can to drive rapid change. Yale has a long legacy of educating leaders and conducting research that translates into impact.”

Roger Cohn, founder and editor of environmental magazine Yale Environment 360, conducted an onstage interview event with activist Bill McKibben at the summit.

He said that the summit has been helpful to learn more about the climate work at Yale that his magazine covers — from climate attribution science to nature-based carbon solutions.

“All these facets are in different parts of the University, and those parts are now coming together,” Cohn said. “I think this was an opportunity to really let people in the public and in the broader Yale community get a sense of that.”

Cohn said that he plans to reconnect with some scientists and researchers he has met at the summit to explore their research for Yale Environment 360.

Robert Durbow, professor emeritus and founding faculty director of the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, said that attendees include Yale students and faculty, international NGO representatives and journalists.

Dubrow said that before Yale Planetary Solutions announced the summit, YCCCH had discussed a Climate Week NYC project but worried about the expenses and planning involved. He added that Yale is elevating Yale Planetary Solutions as a part of the University’s work, and is focused on making Yale’s presence visible at NYC Climate Week.

Daina Bray, a clinical lecturer at Yale Law School who litigates the greenhouse gas emissions of livestock corporations, said that the summit has helped her to place her work in the larger context of climate change initiatives at Yale.

“The thing that stands out for me about this conference is the opportunity not only to tap into the Yale climate network, but also to all of the external partners who are working with folks at Yale on these issues,” Bray said. “It’s a really large and powerful group, but this conference feels more intimate because we’re all benefiting from the Yale connection.”

The Yale Club of New York is located at 50 Vanderbilt Ave., New York City.