Climate Change

Bay Nature’s Local Hero Awards recognize three individuals in our community whose efforts foster understanding and preservation of the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2018 awards will be presented at Bay Nature’s Local Hero Awards Dinner in San Francisco on Sunday, March 25, 2018. Dr. Lisa Micheli is our 2018 Local Hero for Environmental Education.

At a time when much attention is on rising sea levels and extreme weather events, Jisung Park eagerly took on the challenge of developing a greater understanding of the correlation between long-term economic vitality and rising temperatures due to global warming.

Fellow Ayana Johnson says after a natural disaster (strengthened by our warmer planet) is exactly the time to talk about environmental conservation. It protects lives and property, and makes places like Puerto Rico far more self-reliant when disaster strikes.

Last month, I argued that the length of time customers spend interacting with their utility company is not -- on its own -- a sufficient measure of “customer engagement.” Customers care more about getting things done than they do about minutes of mindshare.

In this study, Switzer Fellows Evan Hansen and Lara Cushing explored whether gas production has become more prevalent near where people live, work, and play, increasing the potential for human exposure to contaminants associated with drilling and natural gas extraction.

Fellow Heather Hulton Van Tassel and Audubon South Carolina teamed up under this Switzer Leadership Grant to develop programs to build bird-friendly communities, and to advance climate-resilient initiatives in South Carolina that focus on native plants, community outreach and education, and community-based conservation activities.

Hurricane Harvey has unleashed heart-breaking devastation in South Texas. But the troubling truth is that even more damage is in store in the years ahead as climate change worsens — and our federal government is now on track to be less prepared, writes Fellow Shaye Wolf.

The Department of Energy (DoE) released a study of our nation’s energy grid that attempts, but ultimately fails, to lay the groundwork for the coal industry to get a bailout, writes Fellow Kim Smaczniak.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is asking scientists to reword their grant proposals so as to avoid mentions of “climate change” or “global warming,” Fellow Jennifer Bowen says.