Yes, the university has direct involvement in, or input into, national government or regional nongovernmental organizations SDG policy development which includes identifying problems and challenges, developing policies and strategies, modelling likely futures with and without interventions, monitoring and reporting on interventions, and enabling adaptive management.
Penn State sent a delegation of Penn State faculty and students to Azerbaijan for the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, COP29.
Penn State is one of the members of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) United States Network. The SDSN promotes integrated approaches to implement the SDGs through education, research, policy analysis and global cooperation. SDSN members work closely with businesses and governments, particularly around the development and scaling up of new solutions.
Penn State faculty conduct research and provide expertise that informs policy development. For example:
- The Penn State Climate Consortium‘s goals are to Amplify climate change research activities, internally and externally; Promote excellence in climate change research; Empower solutions from local to global scales; Lead in national and international climate-energy transitions and climate policy; and Inspire creativity and collaboration that broadens engagement and impact.
- The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences hosts the Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (MARISA) which provides a variety of resources to understand and address a changing climate with increasing hazards from extreme heat, heavy downpours, rising sea levels, and storm surge. The resources help users understand, plan, and prepare for these and other hazards.
- Penn State’s Earth System Science Center uses climate system models to understand the climate system and develop modeling tools to serve Penn State and the broader community.
- Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy provides a hub for interdisciplinary research around pressing energy issues where technology, social and legal frameworks are ingredients to successful policy design implementation. It brings together scholars to explore how energy research might be used to inform regulatory approaches. Policy support includes Policy Brief: Growing a Hydrogen Economy in Pennsylvania (October 2023), Coordinating and Accessing Low-Income Energy Efficiency Programs White Paper (November 2023), and Energy in Environmental Justice Across the U.S. States (April 2025).
