Dear Friends,
In a year when many institutions have stepped back from climate action, we chose to lean in. We’ve watched the federal government cut funding for climate and health research, dismantle scientific capacity at federal agencies, and undermine the data and institutions that protect public health. The government has even removed the words “climate change” from federal websites and has refused to fund research proposals that mention it. Words matter: when we can’t name the threat, we can’t measure it, plan for it, or protect our health from it.
We never backed down. Instead, we spoke clearly about climate change, worked to protect science, and kept pushing for solutions.
Early in the year, when our grants were terminated, halting vital research to protect people around the world from extreme heat, malnutrition, air pollution, and other climate hazards, we fought back. We spoke to the press, secured bridge funding, and convened the climate and health community to share information, coordinate, and keep critical work moving forward. While much of our funding has now been restored, new attempts to sideline climate and health work continue. Meanwhile communities reel from the storms, smoke, and extreme heat reshaping their lives, making our work even more urgent.
This has been a year of resolve and momentum in the face of these unprecedented events. Our faculty, students, and collaborators doubled down on solutions‑oriented, policy‑relevant research and are working with individuals, cities, community organizations, and health systems to design and test strategies that protect those most at risk from climate extremes. It’s a powerful reminder that innovation and compassion go hand in hand, and that local action can drive global change.
As we look ahead to 2026, I invite you to stay engaged. Let’s keep sharing our work, our voice, and our ideas so that together we can safeguard science and protect the health of those most affected by climate change.
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| Thank you for being part of this work.
Dr. Mary B. Rice
Director, Harvard Chan C-CHANGE
Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor of Environmental Respiratory Health
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Conducting Solutions-Oriented Research | |
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We studied how climate change is impacting health and tested solutions for patients, healthcare systems, communities, and policymakers to protect health and advance equity. Find research from all of our core faculty here, and explore a small selection of our research that:
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Helped Boston Beat the Heat. With leadership from Gary Adamkiewicz, we worked with Harvard Medical School’s Family Van to help prevent heat-related illness among older adults with chronic illness in Boston.
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Supported COPD patients in breathing easier. Despite federal funding cuts, this study from Mary Rice forged ahead with the help of bridge funding to test if air purifiers in homes can improve symptoms for COPD patients.
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Strengthened climate resilience, clinic by clinic. Our Climate Resilience Toolkit, downloaded nearly 27,000 times, helps frontline clinics manage health risks from heat, wildfire smoke, floods, and hurricanes. This year, in collaboration with Americares and the Philippines Department of Health, Caleb Dresser adapted it to reach 3,800 health centers across the Philippines.
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Demonstrated how climate change made wildfires deadlier and costlier. Research from Nick Nassikas found that climate change contributes to hundreds to thousands of deaths every year and $11 billion annually in economic burden from wildfire smoke in North America.
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Worked to center community voices in climate solutions through the implementation science work led by Shoba Ramanadhan, evaluated climate and health interventions to maximize net benefits through the work of Lisa Robinson, and explored how flooding increases hospitalization risks in older adults, through the work of Rachel Nethery.
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Growing The Climate And Health Research Community
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C-CHANGE community reception with The Family Van team
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Expanding our community was a priority this year, driven by the urgent need for solutions that cut across disciplines and sectors. In addition to working with our world-class core and affiliated faculty, this year we:
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- Launched our Strategic Advisory Board, uniting visionaries, innovators, and change makers who will elevate our work and maximize impact across sectors.
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Grew our climate and health research network to 250 members from across Harvard and affiliated hospitals. Through monthly talks, we foster collaboration and advance research. Our quarterly gatherings create space to connect with partners, exchange ideas, and build relationships. To join, email Alima Ahmed.
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Celebrated our first cohort of graduates through Harvard Chan School’s Climate Change and Planetary Health Concentration. Led by Gaurab Basu and Chris Golden, the concentration helps prepare the next generation of leaders with the skills to tackle the climate crisis.
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Mary Rice featured in The Times
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As the federal government cut funding to climate and health research at Harvard and around the country, we were out front defending our work and demonstrating how our research is critical to improving people’s health and everyday lives.
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| Being In The Room Where It Happens
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Panel on heat resilience at Harvard Climate Action Week
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While the U.S. is stepping back from climate policy, communities, states, and leaders around the world are stepping up. We’re working with those on the frontlines of climate action to keep health and equity centered in climate solutions—from government officials to community organizations to international climate leaders.
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Our work in global climate policy brought us to COP30, the UN’s 30th annual climate summit, where Mary Rice, Vanessa Kerry, and Marcia Castro elevated health as a powerful motivator for climate action. We organized official UNFCCC side events, engaged in Health Day programming at the WHO Health Pavilion, and contributed to global discussions on resilience, co‑benefits, and next steps for aligning health and climate policy.
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Our work with cities and states took us to Climate Week NYC, where Mary Rice was on the ground talking about the impact of air pollution on children’s health and how to deliver climate-resilient health care. Closer to home, Amruta Nori-Sarma began work with the Massachusetts’ Attorney General’s Office to develop a cumulative climate impacts framework for the state.
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Our work across the Harvard community came into focus at Harvard Climate Action Week, which convened innovators in business, government, and civil society. There, we brought together city leaders from Chelsea, Boston, and Jacksonville, Florida and C-CHANGE faculty to discuss heat resilience, and weighed the benefits and costs of AI on climate and health.
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Communicating About Climate And Health
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Harvard Chan Studio event with Gina McCarthy, Bob Inglis, and Gaurab Basu
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In an era of polarization and misinformation, how we communicate about climate change is essential to moving action forward. We're changing the climate narrative by helping scientists, medical professionals, researchers, creators, and entertainment media effectively reach their audiences with messages that resonate.
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Working with media, we appeared in over 150 stories in top tier outlets like ABC News, New York Times, Axios, Associated Press, and E&E News, bringing a clear climate and health lens to public conversations.
- Elevating climate creators: With Pique Action, we released our fourth annual list spotlighting social media storytellers who bring hopeful, solutions-focused climate and health content to millions.
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Consulting Hollywood media: We advised writers and producers on how to weave climate and health into storylines, to help mainstream audiences understand how climate change and public health research affect their families and communities.
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Reframing conversations about climate change and children’s health: Lindsey Burghardt’s work surfaced how the American public thinks about climate change and child development, and how communicators can shape more informed conversations that motivate support for climate solutions.
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Through the Harvard Chan Studio, we shaped high‑impact climate and health conversations. Mary Rice, Amruta Nori-Sarma, and Kari Nadeau linked air pollution to disease and discussed practical solutions, and Gaurab Basu moderated a conversation between former EPA Chief Gina McCarthy and former Representative Bob Inglis, who explored a path forward for cross‑party action.
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Testing Solutions Beyond The Clinic
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We’re testing solutions to address the health impacts of climate change—partnering with individuals, hospital systems, cities, and policymakers to reduce pollution, prevent disease, and help people live healthier lives.
Watch the video to learn more.
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We are always looking to build on and expand our impact. Please reach out if you’d like to talk about how we can work together in 2026.
To make a financial contribution to the Center or discuss becoming more involved in our work, please contact Tracy Sachs.
To receive monthly updates about climate and health work, subscribe to our newsletter by contacting Marcy Franck.
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