New Research Tackles Energy Transition, Public Policy, and Adaptation
Multidisciplinary Team of Experts to Explore Technological, Environmental, Health, and Societal Solutions for a Resilient Future
Researchers across disciplines are uniting to address the impacts of climate change on urban communities—an effort that is especially critical as it unfolds alongside the ongoing energy transition. The work is centered in a new research initiative called Adapt, announced today by Northwestern’s Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. The Trienens Institute advances global sustainability and energy through transformational research, interdisciplinary education, and public engagement.
As more people move into cities, the need for physical, policy, and social infrastructure grows. Solutions are particularly essential for marginalized and disinvested communities, who are often the most vulnerable to environmental hazards.
“Northwestern is justly renowned for its “all-hands” approach to tackling the world’s great problems. Societally important research questions at the intersection of energy transition and public policy are examples of where Northwestern’s team science excels,” said Ted Sargent, Director of the Trienens Institute; and Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern.
The Adapt Initiative complements Trienens Institute's R&D Pillars—all designed to address focused challenges necessary to the energy transition, and to advance the underlying science and engineering. Adapt will develop strategies to deal with extreme events from heatwaves to flooding. The researchers will collaborate across disciplines and with partners to address technological, environmental, public health, and societal solutions.
“Adapt offers an of-the-times means to continue the work we know is needed to better understand the challenges of climate change and co-develop science-based policies to limit their impact,” said Daniel E. Horton, associate professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences and co-chair of the initiative.
The multidisciplinary initiative builds on existing areas of academic expertise at Northwestern, and prior advancements.
“Our work at the Environmental Advocacy Center has long focused on giving a platform to the people and communities most burdened by environmental inequities to make change in complex environmental and energy policymaking spaces. What’s particularly exciting about Adapt is its potential to serve as a structured and sustained way to connect our client organizations with the world class engineers and scientists of the Northwestern research community, so technical expertise and lived experience can be woven together to drive better policies,” said Robert Weinstock, clinical professor of law, Director of the Environmental Advocacy Center (EAC) at Northwestern, and co-chair of the Adapt Initiative.
The first project under Adapt will draw on the expertise of Northwestern and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in a collaboration focused on climate adaptation initiatives in Chicago.
“TNC is committed to helping communities work with nature to adapt to climate change, and we’re pleased to have the expertise of the Trienens Institute as a key partner in this work,” said John Legge, The Nature Conservancy’s Illinois Director of Climate Adaption and Sustainability.
This work builds on prior advancements and existing expertise. In July 2025, Horton released the results of his collaboration with Chicago residents, academics, and municipal leaders from the Departments of Environment and Public Health to develop a city-wide heat vulnerability index, documenting the factors that elevated heat-related mortality in Chicago communities during past heat waves. This tool was called for in Chicago’s 2022 Climate Action Plan and can be used to help identify which communities to prioritize for heat resilience building initiatives and policies.
Prior collaborations between Professors Horton and Weinstock have also set the stage for continued, informed action. Weinstock and his team at the EAC represent community and public health groups in a complex proceeding that asks the Illinois Pollution Control Board to reduce greenhouses gas and air pollutant emissions from on-road vehicles. Specific emphasis is on phasing out diesel engines that produce emissions that can impact health and disproportionately burden people of color and low-income communities. Horton has served as a leading technical witness at the hearings, explaining how cutting-edge air quality modeling produced by his lab demonstrates the significant air quality and health benefits of shifting to zero emission transportation options.
Current and future work under Adapt aims to document and improve urban resilience, a complement to the Trienens Institute’s activities contributing to the energy transition.