Climate Crossroads
The climate is changing in ways that pose increasing risks to people and ecosystems. We are in a crucial window for taking steps to protect the planet and its people. Climate Crossroads harnesses the breadth of the National Academies’ expertise, resources, and advice to catalyze actions to meet the climate crisis.
Subscribe to our newsletter! And find us on: LinkedIn | Bluesky | X/Twitter | Facebook.
You can find more of our climate work on the National Academies climate change page.
Recently completed
News and Updates
Call for Poster Abstracts - Arizona Crossroads: Building the Grid of the Future
Update
The National Academies’ Climate Crossroads initiative will convene a one-day gathering on October 2, 2026 at the Tempe Center for the Arts to engage experts from utilities, government, academia, and the interested public on opportunities to create a future-ready electricity system with increasing amounts of renewables that provides high reliability and resilience under long durations of extreme heat. The symposium invites upper-level undergraduate, graduate students, and early-career researchers to submit abstracts for posters describing innovative research, analysis, or projects at the intersection of grid infrastructure and operations, energy systems, and extreme heat/climate challenges, particularly work that helps build a future-ready electricity system that can meet growing demand while maintaining reliability and resilience under long durations of extreme heat. Abstracts will be reviewed by planning committee members. Authors must submit their applications by August 26, 2026.
Virtual Event - Climate Conversations: Drought
Update
Join us on July 30 for a discussion about drought in the United States under a changing climate.
New Webinar for Climate Conversations: Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Update
While air travel has transformed global connectivity, it remains one of the most carbon-intensive modes of transportation and one of the hardest sectors to abate. Join us on June 25 for a conversation that will explore the future of sustainable aviation fuels.
Our Mission
For decades, the National Academies have studied climate issues and advised policymakers and organizations on approaches to build resilience, decarbonize, and explore new or emerging solutions to complex and interconnected challenges. The global community is in a crucial window for taking steps to address the numerous threats that climate change poses to the planet and society.
In 2023, Climate Crossroads was established to serve as a nexus point within the National Academies, allowing the organization to chart new pathways for sustained national and global leadership over the coming decades. Climate Crossroads seeks to leverage the disciplinary breadth of the organization, provide space to be responsive to new challenges, and expand the impact of the Academies’ work to a more diverse range of stakeholders and decision-makers.
The Climate Crossroads Advisory Committee is charged to provide high-level guidance on emerging needs and opportunities for cross-Academies climate-related activities, including:
cultivating a strategy for sustained funding, including assessing and managing risk with new funders and new types of activities, and helping to make connections with potential new sponsors and partners, and
crosscutting capacities and activities as appropriate (e.g., communications, Congressional engagement) that support climate-related activities across the Academies.
Statement of Task
Climate Crossroads (CCX) is a major initiative that will harness the full complement of expertise and skills across the National Academies to catalyze actions to meet the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of climate change. CCX will partner with existing divisions, boards, and other units with a goal to enhance cross-Academies strategy and coordination, program development and fundraising, communications and engagement, and collaborations.
Contributors
Committee
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Sponsors
BESI Fund
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Internal Funding
National Academy of Sciences Arthur L. Day Fund
Private: Non Profit
Waverly Street Foundation
Staff
K. John Holmes
Lead
Amanda Purcell
Lead
Amy Mitsumori
Nikita Uberoi
Lauren Kalinosky
Joanne Morse
Ryan Gallasch
Major units and sub-units
Organizational Initiatives
Lead
Climate Crossroads
Lead
