The Path to Pasadena
The state of California designated $20 million in its 2023 budget toward Carnegie’s life and environmental science research vision.
Representing a proactive new investment in the fight against climate change, Carnegie is bringing a broad array of experts together in Pasadena where they will
draw on the Institution’s long expertise in exploring the natural world across scales to probe the intersection of climate, ecosystem dynamics, and resilience.
This new genomes-to-ecosystems approach will greatly expand our researchers’ capacity to study these interrelated issues and to make a transformative impact on the most pressing challenges facing humanity today.
Carnegie experts are already enhancing our understanding of the science underpinning important issues such as sustainable agriculture, water quality, drought, clean energy, and biodiversity—and revealing how climate change is impacting them all.
Carnegie experts are already enhancing our understanding of the science underpinning important issues such as sustainable agriculture, water quality, drought, clean energy, and biodiversity—and revealing how climate change is impacting them all.
- We reveal the genetics underpinning hardiness and drought resistance in crop plants, which can help fight global hunger.
- We elucidate how human activity impacts our waterways, which could help mitigate risks to drinking water, fisheries, and recreational areas.
- We investigate how drought and warming affect the health of forests, which could help guide land management strategies.
- We probe species, community, and ecosystem resilience, which can inform conservation efforts.
Carnegie’s expanded presence in Pasadena will be near the Caltech campus and will provide exciting opportunities to build on decades of collaboration in astronomy and the physical sciences.
“California is leading the world in our efforts to combat climate change, with bold action to cut pollution, clean our air, and develop clean energy solutions,” Governor Gavin Newsom said about the funding. “Scientific research is foundational to advancing these goals, protecting our communities, and promoting a sustainable future for California.”