About IREES

Climate change is among the most pervasive risks to people, our planet, our prosperity, and regional security. The negative impacts on our communities, our health, and our natural environment are becoming ever more apparent, as are the impacts on our economy. In just the past two years, the U.S. has experienced the highest annual tally of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters since 1980, with 22 in 2020 and 20 in 2021. Modern society also continues to grapple with persistent environmental challenges that are tightly connected to the systems we’ve built and manage to meet societal needs.

The good news is that governments, investors, businesses, and civil society are transitioning away from emissions-intensive energy sources and manufacturing practices and taking steps to build more resilient, sustainable communities and economies. Given the scale of the technological, economic, and societal changes needed for decarbonization, the potential opportunities are immense.

The University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Resilient Environmental and Energy Systems (IREES) connects OU scholars from across our three campuses with national, regional, and place-based partners to understand the multiple interacting dimensions of transformational change and apply that knowledge to strengthen and empower communities, create new economic opportunities, and enable environmental improvement.

Established in 2021 to support the University of Oklahoma’s bold strategic plan and the strategic research vertical of energy, environment, and sustainability, IREES works to support the development of inclusive, equitable, and sustainable solutions to critical challenges at the intersection of society, the environment, and energy systems through convergent research, interdisciplinary education, and transformative partnerships.

Our goal is to build-in capacity to live and thrive with change, both gradual and abrupt, such that we can anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threats with minimum harm and maximum benefit to society, the economy, and the environment.