To confront the urgent challenges of climate change and the numerous threats it poses to people and the planet, the National Academies are convening the Climate Crossroads Summit, to be held July 11-12 in Washington, D.C., and virtually. The summit also kicks off the broader Climate Crossroads initiative — a major new National Academies effort to provide sustained national and global leadership on climate change that builds upon the institution’s more than 40 years of foundational work in the area. 

Researchers and other experts, policymakers and decision-makers, business leaders, and community stakeholders will come together to explore necessary actions that will help build a broad portfolio of equitable responses to climate change that can be acted upon now and sustained for decades. 

“We hope that this summit will be the first of many opportunities for our Climate Crossroads initiative to engage the wide range of expertise and perspectives needed to tackle climate change and to help the nation and the world chart a course to a more sustainable future,” said Amanda Staudt, director of the initiative. 

National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt, National Academy of Engineering President John L. Anderson, and National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau will open the summit with a discussion about the cross-disciplinary approaches required to address climate change. Their conversation will explore the physical drivers and dynamics of climate change in the natural world; how society, communities, individuals, and ecosystems experience those changes; how a warming world is impacting health and medicine; and the potential for engineering and technology to provide ways to reduce carbon emissions and help society mitigate and adapt to climate impacts.  

“The effects of climate change cut across all segments of society, and we’re going to need an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to finding equitable, sustainable, and affordable solutions to urgently address the climate crisis,” said NAS President McNutt. “The National Academies are fortunate to be able to bring all of these types of expertise together under one roof.” 

Many experts at the intersection of climate change and fields spanning from engineering to the social sciences will speak at the event, including: 

• Cathie Woteki, professor at Iowa State University and member of President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 

• Sonia Aggarwal, policy expert and founder and CEO of Energy Innovation 

• Angel Hsu, assistant professor at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and principal investigator at Data-Driven EnviroLab 

• Lucas Joppa, chief sustainability officer and senior managing director at Haveli Investments 

Summit panelists will focus on a variety of topics such as accelerating decarbonization efforts while ensuring that society’s most vulnerable also benefit; supporting climate-resilient communities and thriving ecosystems; and exploring and addressing the intersections between climate change and human health.  

Sessions will also explore how businesses, philanthropic institutions, and nonprofits can work together to reach common goals and drive action, opportunities for engaging communities — especially low-income communities and communities of color, which are often most affected by the impacts of climate change — and how to foster dialogue and find common ground on complex issues related to climate change.  

“We look forward to thoughtful discussions at the summit, and we hope that Climate Crossroads will inspire a groundswell of action across the public and private sectors, and on the global, national, regional, and community levels,” said McNutt.  

Related Resources

• Learn more about the Climate Crossroads Summit and register to attend 

• Learn more about the Climate Crossroads Initiative and support