Beyond 2028: Climate Policy, Economic Opportunity, and Global Cooperation
As we consider the future beyond the 2028 presidential election, what policy tools will remain available—at the federal, state, local, and international levels—to accelerate the energy transition while strengthening economic competitiveness?
Join us for a panel discussion:Adam Rose (Research Professor in the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy), Matthew Fry (Associate Professor, School of Environment, Society & Sustainability, University of Utah), Kody Powell (Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering; Adjunct Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah), Adam Looney (Executive Director of the Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis), Scott Schaefer (moderator) (Professor of Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations, University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business), Professor Adam Rose (USC) and a diverse panel of faculty researchers from the U will discuss climate economics, resilience, benefit-cost analysis,…
Thursday, August 27, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Hinckley Institute of Politics
260 Central Campus Drive—Gardner Commons, Room 2018, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.
Faculty Seed Grant Program (application portal open)
This Incentive Seed Grant Program is intended to provide initial support for impactful research exploring the fundamental processes surrounding climate change, as well as the policy impacts and opportunities.
Submissions are due by October 30, 2026.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 – Friday, October 30, 2026.
https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/funding-opportunities/faculty-seed-grant/.
For more info visit wilkescenter.utah.edu. Lessons for a Warming Planet: A Vital History of U.S. Environmental Law
The relationship between humans and the environment in the United States reflects tales of countless contrasting and overlapping trends, movements, and tensions. Law has cultivated both the planet’s biggest environmental threats and its most creative innovations for protecting human and ecological health. U.S. laws have driven both exploitation and temperance; destruction and restoration; and resistance and adaptation.
Lessons for a Warming Planet showcases the fundamental role the law has served in reckoning with environmental harm in the United States. Authors Alejandro E. Camacho and Brigham Daniels explore the full arc of U.S. environmental legal history across five major periods in the United States, reaching as far back as North America’s colonization and ending with the present. Through this rich history, the book considers the ways leadership, social movements, political coalitions, information, and technologies have both been catalyzed by the law and have advanced environmental change.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy
L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Suite W1204
275 S. University Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112.
2027 Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize (Accepting Submissions)
The Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize seeks bold, high-potential solutions that address significant challenges affecting the climate/energy/economy ecosystem and are positioned to make measurable progress toward real-world use. The Prize is designed to support solutions at a stage where uncertainty remains high, conventional funding or adoption pathways are limited, and targeted support can plausibly influence outcomes. Solutions may be technological, policy-driven, operational, financial, or hybrid. Applicants may be for-profit or nonprofit organizations, academic teams, public-sector innovators, or mission-driven collaborations from anywhere in the world.
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 – Friday, November 20, 2026.
https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/prize/.
For more info visit wilkescenter.utah.edu. Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize Announcement Watch Party
Join us for a Watch Party for the live announcement of the 2026 Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize, awarding $250,000 to an innovator whose breakthrough has the potential to significantly advance climate innovation. Learn about the winning innovator and gain an inside look at the breakthrough technology, the science behind it, and its potential to transform the future of climate action.
Wednesday, September 23rd 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Wilkes Center (LSSB W1204)
Light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments to be served.
Please RSVP.
Immediately following the award announcement, XPRIZE will host a conversation with leaders who are redefining what's possible through incentive competitions.
Panelists will include:Shantanu Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Mati Carbon, winner of the $100 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition; The newly announced Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize winner; David Cumming, philanthropist and benefactor of both the Wilkes Climate Center Prize and XPRIZE; Elaine Hungenberg, SVP of Partnerships &…
Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy (L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Suite W1204, 275 S. University Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112).
For more info visit wilkescenter.utah.edu. Student Innovation Prize (Accepting Submissions)
Information to be posted soon.
Monday, October 12, 2026 – Friday, February 19, 2027.
Website to be updated soon.
Wilkes Scholars Program - SPRING 2027 DEADLINE
The Wilkes Scholars Program (WSP) enables outstanding undergraduate students to explore pressing climate challenges facing our state, region, and planet through transformative research. Wilkes Scholars will work with a mentor to advance research related to the mission of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy — catalyzing innovative science and solutions to address climate change.
Friday, October 30, 2026.
https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/funding-opportunities/wilkes-scholars/.
For more info visit wilkescenter.utah.edu. Graduate JD Fellowship applications due
The Wilkes JD Fellowship is a new initiative in partnership with the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment supporting law students at the University of Utah who are committed to addressing climate, energy, and environmental challenges through legal and policy scholarship and work.
Friday, November 13, 2026.
https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/funding-opportunities/jd-fellowship/.
For more info visit wilkescenter.utah.edu.