Dear Northeastern University families, alumni and friends,

Do you know what a CO₂ pipeline is? Me neither, until I heard an NPR item on the topic. The premise is that CO₂ produced by human activities can be prevented from leaking into the atmosphere, through transport along pipelines to permanent underground storage facilities. The process is complex and questionably effective. The pipelines, like other types – oil or natural gas for example, can be dangerous and can rupture. There are ~5,000 miles of CO₂ pipelines in the US presently, scheduled to increase more than ten-fold in the next few years, with pipes often traversing disadvantaged areas.

It’s quite extraordinary that such individually small humans have collectively wrought such vast damage onto a planet so much larger than any of us. Climate change, as we understand it, leading to disruption of habitats, species, cities and societies, results from an issue I sometimes forget, that of global warming. The point is that when sunlight hits earth, some of the sun’s energy is absorbed and some is released as heat (infrared) that travels back through the atmosphere into space. ‘Greenhouse gases’, in the atmosphere reflect this heat back to earth, so less is released to the atmosphere, and the earth warms. Excess CO₂ is a problematic greenhouse gas but look at this TEDx talk about methane (with illustrations by my daughter!), that is 100 times more powerful than CO₂ in preventing heat from leaving the atmosphere. If methane emissions were sharply curtailed, the rate of global warming could decline within 100 years, whereas reductions in CO₂ levels would take 1,000 years to reverse global warming. Either way, other approaches to prevent and mitigate the damages of climate change must be taken.

Contributing solutions around climate change is deeply on the minds of our students and researchers. Many Northeastern University College of Science departments and members are addressing climate change through research and education. For example, investigators are examining genomic changes associated with altered species range through increasing temperature; preventing coastal erosion; assessing impact on coastal communities; devising ‘green energy’ and sustainable batteries; developing sustainable methods of chemical synthesis; understanding the plastics cycle; modeling effects of climate change; analyzing air and water quality; exploring mental health and the relationship to sustainability decisions. Northeastern University has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, and through our ongoing work by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty, the College of Science is making crucial cross-disciplinary, high impact contributions to addressing climate change.

Thank you, our wonderful alumni, families, and friends for supporting a landscape that allows students and faculty to tackle the huge challenges of society and our planet. My heartfelt gratitude for your connection with the Northeastern University College of Science.

Warm regards,

Hazel Sive PhD (she/hers)

Dean, College of Science