About the Institute
The Challenge
For more than a century, inexpensive fossil fuels have been an essential driver of growth, raising living standards and human welfare. Yet, those same sources of energy have also been fueling climate change, which has emerged as a clear threat to human progress. While it is widely accepted that society must now decouple growth from carbon emissions, this transition is not possible without inexpensive, clean alternatives to fossil fuels and the policies and markets needed to scale them. At the same time, this energy transition on its own cannot address a century of carbon emissions that have already begun to drive changes to the climate—a risk that must be considered.
Balancing the risks of a changing climate—now and in the future—with the essential need for human progress is the defining issue of our time.
Our Approach
The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth will work tirelessly to help societies around the world navigate the complex tradeoffs between growth and climate change. By uniting researchers in economics, business, and public policy with scientists and engineers, the Institute will take a comprehensive approach to developing solutions that are critically evaluated for their risks and benefits, viable in the lab, and supported by efficient and effective policy, governance, and market frameworks. It will do so by leveraging the distinctive assets of the University such as the nation’s largest cluster of energy innovators on campus and at the Argonne National Laboratory, its history of renowned economic thinking, and its foundation of free expression and holistic education.
Institute Building Blocks
The Institute conducts cutting-edge research with real-world impact through initiatives in three main areas where the University of Chicago is uniquely positioned to lead. It uses the University’s robust capabilities in Economics and Policy to develop solutions and shape markets to scale the technologies and approaches required to address climate change at the lowest cost. The Institute develops new Technologies and Innovations that can replace fossil fuels and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions at scale. And, it is developing the new field of Climate Systems Engineering to study the approaches and technologies that may be needed to manage the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere.
Cultivating a Climate Ecosystem
While the Institute invests in these foundational areas, it also recognizes that climate change is a multilayered challenge that requires an ecosystem of scholars with varying expertise coming together. That is why the Institute is investing in research that goes beyond its main pillars to generate the next big climate ideas by bringing together researchers from across the University. It will also and create new programs to further cultivate an intellectual community. Read More…
High-impact collaboration is already underway at the University of Chicago. The Climate Impact Lab and Air Quality Life Index bring together economists, scientists and data engineers to produce evidence-based, localized insights on the social and economic implications of our energy choices. The Energy & Environment Lab works hand-in-hand with state-level regulatory agencies to test and scale innovative policies across the U.S. These and other high-profile labs will be cornerstones of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth and templates for new labs.
Global Presence
The University of Chicago stands out as a leader among academic institutions for establishing infrastructure and relationships across Europe, Asia and elsewhere to support research and education. The Institute is building on this foundation to drive impact in the countries most central to the global climate and growth challenge. Read More…
A Pioneering Climate and Sustainable Growth Curriculum
The Institute leads the world’s first cross-cutting education program in climate and energy studies. Modelled after the Core Curriculum created by the University of Chicago, the Chicago Climate and Sustainable Growth Curriculum provides a distinctive and comprehensive education through a set of common classes that span the technical, policy, and social elements of climate and energy before students specialize in areas of interest. This pioneering program will also use world-opening experiences to complement a radically altered understanding of climate and energy.
Through this comprehensive base of knowledge, the Institute will produce graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees who see the climate and energy challenge from its many angles and have an understanding of what is required economically, technically, and politically to confront it. More broadly, the Curriculum is designed so other universities can adopt it, fundamentally altering how future leaders and workers learn about the world’s climate and growth challenge and the solutions needed to address it. Read More…
Research to Impact
The Institute takes its ideas beyond the journals and the halls of academia to decision-makers who can use these ideas to inform market-based and policy-ready solutions. A dedicated team of policy and communications professionals work hand-in-hand with researchers to translate the core findings of their analysis and disseminate it to policymakers, industry, the media, and opinion leaders.
The Institute’s strategy builds on a track record of success. Institute scholars and practitioners have worked directly with decisionmakers to improve environmental enforcement using AI; pioneered research to develop new energy storage solutions such as the world’s first anode-free, sodium-based, solid-state battery; and provided tools to guide decisions on everything from protecting workers from extreme heat to protecting homes and businesses from flooding. A critical partner in advancing the Institute’s mission, the Energy Transition Network, convenes industry, startups, academics, and national lab experts to accelerate early-stage technology development. Together with ecosystem allies, the Network provides the framework required to advance clean technology solutions from the lab to the market.