Climate and Sustainability

Climate & Sustainability

As of early 2024, global temperatures have increased by approximately 1.2 degrees celcius above pre-industrial levels, contributing to more frequent and intense heatwaves, wildfires, and extreme weather events worldwide. Climate change disproportionately impacts low-income communities, who often lack resources to adapt to changing environmental conditions, leading to increased vulnerability to extreme weather events. C2C researchers are tackling these problems from multiple angles, supporting the establishment of green spaces in Boston and Maine, and creating career ladder programs to mitigate inequality in the green economy.​

Check out our new and ongoing projects below, or get in touch if you have a research question you want answered.​

New Projects​

Katherine Simmonds: Generating Evidence-Based Guidelines for Green Space Access and Design​

• This project will support further collaboration between Northeastern and the Town of Thomaston, in rural Knox County, Maine, in redesigning the historic 15-acre Green to become a more inviting, well-utilized outdoor park that promotes community health and wellness.​

Ongoing Projects

Sara Carr: Refuge: Community-Guided Design Guidelines for Extreme Heat and Green Space Inequity in Chelsea, MA​

• Extreme heat widens spatial and health inequities as the brunt of heat islands, flooding, and air pollution fall on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. These places often lack the natural infrastructure that can mitigate these environmental effects. Partnering with GreenRoots, this project seeks to advance best practices for public space, shade, and cooling as a civic resource and means towards climate justice. ​

Joan Fitzgerald: An Initiative to Create Green Technology Career Ladders in Boston & Oakland​

• The goal of this project is to examine green economy career ladder programs around the country to determine what works and what doesn’t. In collaboration with community organizations, high schools, community colleges, and universities, this project will develop at least one green technology career ladder program in both Boston and Oakland to serve youth in frontline communities.​

Patrice Williams: Climate Justice Ready​

• The purpose of this study is to conduct an international comparative study of climate-related risks to gentrification for historically vulnerable populations in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, and Barcelona.