The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Michael McElroy is the Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies in the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
McElroy studies changes in the composition of the atmosphere with an emphasis on the impact of human activity.
His research addresses challenges for public policy posed by the rapid pace of industrialization in developing countries such as China and India while exploring alternative strategies for more sustainable development in mature economies such as the United States.
McElroy chairs the Harvard China Project, an interdisciplinary research program on China's atmospheric environment, energy system, and economy, collaborating across schools of Harvard and partner universities in China. From 2001-2004, he was the Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment.