Holly Gibbs studies how and why people use land around the world, and the associated consequences for the environment and global carbon cycle.

Zuzana Burivalova (left) and Grace Bulltail are champions of conservation and environmental justice.

Jonathan Patz is an expert on the environmental health effects of climate change.

The Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment brings together researchers from the natural, health and social sciences, engineering, and other fields to study problems stemming from interactions between environmental systems, natural resources, and human activity, and to inform technology and policy solutions.

Tools for Understanding the Global Environment

SAGE scientists aim to improve our understanding of the global environment, and how it is being affected by human activities. To achieve this goal, we have developed maps, computer models, and datasets to describe the behavior of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, hydrological systems, and climate. In addition, we have created datasets and analyses of historical land use, land cover change, global supply chains, resource management, energy technology, air quality and public health.

Advancing Knowledge for a Better Future

Tracey Holloway presenting satellite data nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere

SAGE scientists are at the forefront of research on the connections between human actions and Earth’s complex environmental systems. They are forging new links within traditional scientific fields to broaden our understanding of global environmental challenges and contribute to solutions that shape real-world decision-making and public policy with the ultimate goal of sustainably managing our planet’s natural resources — the air, water, land and biological diversity upon which all life depends —  into the future.

News and Events

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Upcoming Weston Roundtable Lectures

Dane County's Response to the Climate Crisis: The Art of the Possible

November 7, 2024    
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
1163 Mechanical Engineering

Housing Markets, Discrimination, and Environmental Injustice

November 14, 2024    
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
1163 Mechanical Engineering

How Fluid, Sediment, and Biota Interactions Regulate Aquatic Ecosystems

November 21, 2024    
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
1163 Mechanical Engineering

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Support SAGE

The Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment examines the connections between natural resources, technology, policy, human health, security, and changes in the global environment.

Gifts to SAGE support cutting-edge research, innovative teaching, public outreach activities, and graduate and undergraduate opportunities that push the frontiers of interdisciplinary research and use this new science to make the world a better place.

Make a gift today