In early 2021, Portland suffered a major ice storm that knocked power out to tens of thousands of residents for multiple days. As summer approached, an unprecedented number of wildfires started across the Western United States. And, then in June 2021, Oregon sweltered under the intensity of an historic heat wave. More than 100 people died. Soon after the event ended, a global team of scientists concluded that the catastrophe was “virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.”
Nature had knocked on our door—and not for the first time. The climate crisis is accelerating right before our eyes. As Jennifer Allen, environmental and natural resource policy faculty, puts it: “This is a focusing moment.”
From almost any perspective, it is time for action, and in my view, PSU is ready to take the lead.
This magazine’s terrific cover story points out that taking action on climate issues is nothing new at PSU. Over the decades, we have built an exceptional array of climate-related knowledge, research and practice that cuts across disciplines and permeates the University. PSU secured a James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation research grant in 2008, under the leadership of former President Wim Wiewel, to integrate sustainability across the campus. We further committed to making PSU’s operations carbon-neutral by 2040.
This year I called upon our campus to focus on climate action. PSU is home to dozens of disciplines, academic and research units, and engagement projects working to adapt to, mitigate and explain the effects of climate change. We’re examining how we can amplify PSU’s climate and social justice experts, making new connections between disciplines and staying focused on our core values. Every school, college, unit and department has a role to play.
Because of our position as Oregon’s only urban research university, PSU applies a unique lens and capacity to understanding and responding to climate change, a position that directly aligns with our top institutional priority of advancing racial equity and justice. We know that any successful response to climate change will have equity at its core. Indeed, our own Vivek Shandas, urban studies and planning faculty, found that some of the deadliest areas in Portland during the June 2021 heatwave were located in outer Southeast Portland, in neighborhoods with high concentrations of low-income and minoritized residents.
Our experience at PSU tells us that we are most successful at manifesting change when the people who will implement those changes are engaged from the beginning. As we tighten our focus on climate change, we’re seeking the wisdom of new partners and asking the community to guide us, rather than telling the community what it needs. Together, we can show leadership, press for innovation and solutions, and continue the legacy of Oregon’s environmental trailblazers.
Sincerely,
Stephen Percy
President, Portland State University