Cal Poly Initiative for Climate Leadership and Resilience

Climate change is the biggest problem humanity has ever faced, and it will be the defining challenge for the next generation. To meet this challenge, ICLR is building the Institute for Climate Leadership and Resilience, an organization that will train the next generation of climate leaders for these emergent careers, increase regional resilience on the Central Coast, and make Cal Poly a recognized climate leader in higher education. ICLR exists to facilitate collaboration among donors, industry partners, different campus departments, and our global community to create a future workforce that can produce climate solutions. The foundational skills to lead the necessary work of developing climate resilience are teachable, and our students are uniquely qualified with the ability and passion to lead the way. Resilience is built through human adaptation to climate change and we provide interdisciplinary, hands-on, Learn by Doing educational experiences focused specifically on responding to climate change. Cal Poly’s robust portfolio of high-impact research centers and firmly established brand of top-tier polytechnic education uniquely position it to provide leadership in developing applied climate solutions and to train the climate professionals of tomorrow. Cal Poly has many highly-regarded faculty experts working on climate policy and socio-economic impacts, sustainable technologies, climate-smart agriculture and alternative energy, locally and around the world. Cal Poly offers an ideal location due to (i) agricultural, fishery and ecological diversity within many microclimates, (ii) abundant open space, (iii) a diverse socio-economic demographic, (iv) forward-thinking local government, (v) an environmentally-engaged populace, and (vi) proximity to major metropolitan areas in spite of an essentially rural character.