diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d6821c4143..73863bc3b9 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@ endif()
 # HDF5 for binary output
 #===============================================================================
 
+# Allow user to specify HDF5_ROOT
+if (CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.12)
+  cmake_policy(SET CMP0074 NEW)
+endif()
+
 # Unfortunately FindHDF5.cmake will always prefer a serial HDF5 installation
 # over a parallel installation if both appear on the user's PATH. To get around
 # this, we check for the environment variable HDF5_ROOT and if it exists, use it