Climate Solutions
Anticipating the Future. Acting in the Present.
Climate change is reshaping how we live, and not in abstract terms. It impacts how we plant and harvest, how we build our homes, how we manage water resources, and how we plan for futures we can’t yet fully imagine.
At the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), researchers from across the University of Illinois collaborate to respond. Teams of climatologists, biologists, engineers, economists, ecologists, and social scientists work together to develop climate models that project local heat and flood risks, apply long-term environmental research to guide land and water management, and inform policy-relevant solutions.
We focus on turning research into results. The goal? To provide data, tools, and strategies that are science-based, locally informed, and ready to support sound decisions.
Focus Areas
- Agricultural impacts
Evaluating how crops will respond to a changing climate.
- Climate modeling and forecasting
Building regional climate projections and high-resolution models to inform planning, policy, and infrastructure.
- Nature-based carbon removal
Evaluating the potential of land management practices like reforestation and enhanced rock weathering to sequester carbon.
- Community resilience
Supporting local governments, land managers, and agencies with data, scenarios, and adaptation tools.
- Science-informed decision-making
Providing data and guidance that translate climate research into practical action across sectors.
Featured Researchers & Initiatives
Lisa Ainsworth
Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences
Professor Ainsworth is a leading expert in plant responses to global climate change. For more than two decades she has played a central role in the Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment (SoyFACE) Center in Savoy, Ill., where scientists study how rising carbon dioxide and ozone levels affect crops in real field conditions. As part of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) and the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC), her work combines experimental field trials with advanced modeling to improve crop resilience, water use, and nutrient efficiency, helping farmers adapt to a changing climate while protecting natural resources.
Jeff Brawn
Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Professor Brawn is a lead for the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (MW CASC), where he works with tribal and governmental partners to develop ecological adaptation strategies for the region’s wildlife and ecosystems.
Learn more about MW CASC >>>
Cory Suski
Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Professor Suski co-leads Illinois’ contributions to the Midwest CASC, researching the responses of aquatic species to climate stressors such as warming waters and altered streamflow. His findings help shape fishery and habitat management in a changing Midwest.
Impact Highlights
Illinois researchers led a landmark greenhouse gas emissions study revealing how soil, weather, and management practices drive nitrous oxide emissions (a potent GHG) and provided the first high-resolution, field-level emissions estimates across the country. The findings offer a scientific foundation for climate-smart agricultural policies and practices that reduce emissions without compromising productivity.
Field trials of enhanced rock weathering led by Illinois researchers are helping quantify carbon removal potential from croplands, contributing to national and global estimates of negative emissions technologies.
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Midwest CASC-supported models are being applied by local governments to assess infrastructure risks and update resilience plans.
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