Climate Resilience Planning and Organizational Learning on Campuses and Beyond: A Comparative Study of Three Higher Education Institutions

Higher education institutions around the world are confronting challenges associated with climate change, and many are trying to model practices that support climate change mitigation and resilience. This work initiates an inventory of good practices and introduces a theoretical framework for the assessment of resilience planning in order to guide and support institutions of higher education in their efforts to plan for resilience. We analyzed the resilience planning initiatives of three higher education institutions. Smith College, a small liberal arts college, conducted participatory research to help plan for climate change. Large, research-focused Cornell University nurtured collaborations and examined its own capacity for climate action. Boston University played an important role in the efforts of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission to plan for climate resiliency in the city of Boston. We analyzed the climate change mitigation and resilience planning processes of these three institutions using a theoretical framework of organizational change, resilience thinking, and adaptive co-management. Our analysis showed that, although each institution approached the process differently, all three gained significant benefits beyond the scope of climate action. Each experienced a meaningful opportunity to engage with its community and explore the values of stakeholders, and each fostered local social capital and action while building a strong consensus on directions for the future. Aspects of the process supported the institutions’ missions of education, research, and outreach and provided opportunities to pause and think deeply about how the institution chooses to engage with the world. All three organizations learned valuable lessons and experienced transformation, but Boston University in particular developed new ways to promote institutional learning on the topic of climate change, a process we describe as triple-loop learning.