Climate and Sustainability

"The Duke Climate Commitment invites every member of our community—faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends—to join us in contributing to meaningful change. Together, we will continue to harness Duke’s greatest resource—our people—to redefine what is possible for a more resilient, sustainable campus and world." ~ Toddi Steelman, Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability

Covering resources from the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts & Humanities, both local and international, we hope that the breadth and uniqueness of resources included here inspires ideas of interdisciplinary collaboration for climate research and education.  

This guide offers suggestions for the Duke Community to:  

• explore ways that climate and sustainability topics intersect with your research area.
• collaborate on climate research from an interdisciplinary perspective.
• review how you can incorporate climate and sustainability topics into your classroom. 

Read more about Duke's commitment to education, research, operations, engagement, and partnerships in the 2024 State of the Duke Climate Commitment report.  

Climate is the average weather, including surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind, in a location over time.ⁱ Climate on Earth varies over time and space.  

Sustainability is the balanced integration of systems (environmental, social, and economic) to meet the needs of the present for all living beings without compromising the needs of future generations of all living beings.^ii,iii  

ⁱIPCC (2022). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Minterbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, 3056 pp., doi:10.1017/9781009325844.

ⁱⁱRupprecht, C.D.D., et al. (2020). Multispecies sustainability. Global Sustainability 3, e34, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.28

ⁱⁱⁱBrundtland, G.H. (1987). Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Geneva, United Nations General Assembly document A/42/427.

From The climate and sustainability fluency framework, Annual Report 2023

Climate Fluency begins with Climate Literacy. Learn more from these lectures and presentations.

Climate Science for Everyone

Duke Climate Commitment | In it for Life

The Climate Commitment Tool Kit Webinar Series

Ready to take the next step?  Environmental Leadership