The 2035 Initiative brings together world-leading environmental policy research labs to develop actionable roadmaps for slashing climate pollution and ushering in a more equitable, resilient future. We use empirical research, policy development, and media engagement to support transformational policy change in the United States and across the planet. 

Some think tanks look for an approximately right answer before the end of the news cycle. Academics can spend years answering a single narrow question. But in a rapidly warming world, we need precise, proven strategies to address the climate crisis in the near term. The 2035 Initiative fills this gap, leveraging the expertise of our world-leading researchers to produce empirically-grounded, practical solutions on a timescale that will allow us to stabilize climate change in the next 12 years. 

  • For two decades, climate debates have been centered in science, engineering and economics. Through climatology and related fields, we now have an unprecedented understanding of the impacts of climate change. Through engineering, we now have commercially-viable technologies to support decarbonization. And through economics, we have well-developed models of costs.

    But we know that these tools are insufficient alone. Political barriers to climate action continue to constrain societal responses. And we don’t have a robust political and policy roadmap to overcome these barriers. The 2035 Initiative will take this gap head on, generating empirically-grounded, social solutions to environmental problems. The empirically-grounded analysis of power is at the center of our work – where it sits, how it’s distributed, and how we can mobilize successful political coalitions in support of climate stability.

  • Our research and advocacy focuses on three core policy challenges:

    1. accelerating the clean energy transition;

    2. phasing out fossil fuels, and

    3. helping people adapt to the dangers of a changing climate.

    We approach each of these challenges with a combination of cutting-edge empirical research, policy development, media engagement, and mentorship. We develop policy reports for both popular and policy audiences, partnering with leading environmental organizations. We convene policy roundtables, and actively share policy needs and solutions with political leaders, bureaucrats, and other leading advocates. And we disseminate empirically-grounded research through media channels — speaking regularly with journalists about climate policy and politics, and making frequent appearances on radio, television, and podcasts. The 2035 Initiative also works to train the next generation of climate policy leaders, offering fellowships and mentorship to the field’s top rising talent.

    In this way, The 2035 Initiative carries out research, public writing, and media engagement work in concert, bringing cutting-edge empirical findings into conversation with policy leaders. And ensuring that the insights from social science research on climate change are made actionable and salient with the speed necessary to address the climate crisis.

  • Our current flagship policymaking projects include:

    • Leveraging the success of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to craft climate and energy policy roadmaps at the US state-level and internationally;

    • Developing an equitable roadmap for methane regulation;

    • Creating a global climate observatory to measure climate impacts and response strategies in developing countries;

    • Integrating energy system models and social science to outline comprehensive demand-response program for boosting US electricity grid resilience;

    • Creating pathways for school electrification to cut climate pollution from public infrastructure and boost community resilience;

    • Evaluating the highest impact strategies for the climate risk disclosure movement;

    • Developing the first high-resolution global maps of climate concern, including the first effort to systematically survey climate-vulnerable populations in small-island regions;

    • Establishing a Latin American Environmental Justice Observatory to support the needs of environmental defenders in the region who are subject to systematic violence;

    • Developing a roadmap and database for deep decarbonization of heavy industry; and

    • Studying climate consumer behavior, particularly around building electrification goals.

    Through these projects – and many others – The 2035 initiative bridges the gap between our technological and economic knowhow and meaningful action to combat the climate crisis. By leveraging the expertise of world-renowned scholars between now and 2035, our work will help clean up the global economy, slash pollution, promote justice, and secure a livable future.