Image of college classroom with wooden seats and a blackboard.

UMass commits to climate leadership as states counter federal inaction

Facing federal rollbacks under President Trump, the University of Massachusetts system is expanding its climate tech and sustainability efforts across its five campuses.

Dennis Pillion reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

UMass President Marty Meehan announced a "whole-university" strategy to align with Massachusetts’ $1.4 billion climate tech development plan, emphasizing education, research, and economic partnerships.
Despite federal threats to diversity initiatives and energy policy reversals, UMass leaders plan to continue pushing clean energy, resilience projects, and climate justice initiatives at state and international levels.
UMass campuses are launching programs such as the Clean Energy and Environmental Legacy Transition at UMass Lowell, climate change curriculum at its medical school, and nature-based resiliency projects at UMass Boston, while planning major infrastructure upgrades funded by the state’s Bright Act.

Key quote:

"While forces seem determined to drag us backward, UMass and Team Massachusetts are going to continue to work together to move ourselves forward."

— Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts

Why this matters:

The University of Massachusetts’s aggressive pivot toward climate action highlights a broader trend: As the federal government retreats from environmental leadership, states and institutions are stepping up. Climate tech and sustainability efforts at major research universities can have cascading effects — training a workforce ready for green industries, driving regional innovation, and laying the foundation for community resilience. Energy-efficient building upgrades, climate-focused medical education, and projects like Boston Harbor’s living sea walls also have direct implications for public health and environmental justice, especially as vulnerable populations face disproportionate risks from extreme weather and pollution. Without coordinated federal support, these local and state efforts may become the front line in the fight to slow climate change and protect ecosystems that sustain human life.

insideclimatenews.org

UMass commits to climate leadership as states counter federal inaction

Disaster aid cuts raise fears of post-Katrina failures as hurricane risks grow

New Orleans children carry Hurricane Katrina’s trauma into adulthood

Local emergency alert systems often go unused, with deadly results

Democrats target Trump’s energy law as driver of rising electricity bills

Oil and gas firms press Carney to scale back climate rules as Canada weighs emissions plan update

U.S. tariffs hit Indian solar exports as domestic market faces pressure to absorb surplus

Koch-funded campaign ramps up fight against Vermont’s clean energy laws

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.