“The right side of history”: MIT releases its climate change report

To the members of the MIT community:

I write to share the findings of the MIT Climate Change Conversation Committee. The Committee submitted this report on Friday to the four faculty members President Reif asked to serve as the “Conversation Leadership,” Provost Marty Schmidt, MITEI Director Bob Armstrong, Environmental Solutions Initiative Director Susan Solomon and me.

Reflecting 10 months of intense effort and extensive community engagement, these findings present an ambitious set of potential opportunities for action.

I am tremendously grateful to the chair, Professor Roman Stocker, and all of the Committee members. By tackling this important assignment with energy, imagination and seriousness, they delivered to our community an exceptionally constructive and illuminating process for exploring the most effective strategies for climate action. In the best MIT tradition of clear-eyed problem-solving, their thoughtful groundwork enabled the MIT community to consider this urgent, complex and highly charged subject in a respectful way that left us all better informed and better prepared to act.

The next step is a 30-day community comment period. I hope that you will review and reflect on the Committee’s findings. If this triggers new insights or further suggestions, please share them via this email address – climateconversation@mit.edu – by July 15.

At that point, the Conversation Leadership will weigh the issues and options, and offer recommendations to President Reif. Early in the fall semester, President Reif will share with the community an Institute plan for how MIT can lead in addressing climate change.

I look forward to joining with you in confronting the grand challenge of climate action.

Sincerely,

Maria T. Zuber