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MARCH 12, 2026 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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A firefighter confronts wildfires in Patagonia, where Argentina's government declared a state of emergency in January 2026. (Photo by Tomas Cuesta / AFP via Getty Images) | | |
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Environment & Energy |
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We're closer to breaching climate goals than we thought—but change is possible |
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According to climate researchers, the world is 25% closer to breaching the Paris Agreement’s climate goals than previously thought. Prior estimates that we’d cross the 1.5-degree threshold by 2032 and reach a 2-degree rise by 2051 built in more time than we actually have. In a paper published in One Earth, researchers including HKS Professor John Holdren suggest we’ll instead pass a 1.5-degree rise by 2030 and a 2-degree increase by 2046. Prior estimates did not incorporate indirect impacts on climate, such as melting permafrost. They also only tracked emissions from governments' managed land, leaving areas like remote forests or wilderness unaccounted for. The authors recommend improving tracking, adjusting predictions, and mitigating the impact of indirect emissions. Read more about the research.
Learn more about Environment & Energy at HKS » | | |
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Human Rights |
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What happens when governments are “named and shamed”? |
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Governments, international organizations, and activists often employ a “naming and shaming” strategy: publicly criticizing governments for violating international laws and norms. How does this international criticism shape attitudes and external perceptions toward foreign governments? In her research, HKS Assistant Professor Lotem Bassan-Nygate found that shaming damaged the target’s reputation and enhanced the shamer’s image. Additionally, she found that shaming could strengthen third-party countries’ support for international norms. In this video, she breaks down what naming and shaming is and how it affects reputation.
Learn more about Human Rights at HKS » | | |
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Human Rights |
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AI feels like a “friend,” but is it? |
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As AI systems become more human-like, new legal and ethical questions are emerging. Sue Anne Teo, a fellow at the Kennedy School’s Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, is studying how anthropomorphic chatbots—AI that feels human—may create new forms of dependency, manipulation, and harm. “When it comes to AI and the law, what we don’t want to do is regulate based on edge cases and moral panic,” Teo explains. “We need some degree of empirical evidence to design legal regulation properly.” Read a Q&A with Teo about anthropomorphic AI and what safeguards the law can provide.
Learn more about Human Rights at HKS » | | |
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What we're Doing |
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The Building State Capability program developed the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach to help organizations solve complex problems by building local capability. An HKS field lab course, PDIA in Action, taught by Matt Andrews and Salimah Samji, pairs HKS Executive Education alumni with current students to tackle real-world challenges. This spring, students are working on issues ranging from addressing school dropout rates in Sierra Leone, to improving air quality in Pakistan, to integrating arts and culture into economic development in Providence, Rhode Island. | | | | | |
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