Climate Change

Fellow Story

Levin quoted in Scientific American on whether world should ditch 2-degree Celsius target

The main goal posts in the global fight against climate change are set in the wrong place, one researcher argues in a new paper this week. The established international target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius leaves too much wiggle room and doesn’t move the world fast enough to avert catastrophic warming, explained Oliver Geden, head of the E.U. research division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
June 15, 2016
Network Innovation Grant Grant

Assessing the Risk of Fracking on Communities

Switzer Fellows Evan Hansen, President of Downstream Strategies in Morgantown, WV, and Dr. Lara Cushing, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University, will work with SkyTruth to analyze the...
June 14, 2016
Fellow Story

As the US heads to climate talks, it seeks a plan to ‘trust but verify’

Success in Paris should not reflect some “counting the tons” exercise motivated by the two degrees Celsius goal. Success should be measured by the extent to which the international community can agree on a robust institutional infrastructure for pledging and transparency with review that can enable learning and build trust among countries.
June 12, 2016
Fellow Story

Torn quoted in Scientific American on potential ability of farmland to combat climate change

The earth’s soil stores a lot of carbon from the atmosphere, and managing it with the climate in mind may be an important part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to curb global warming, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
June 9, 2016
Fellow Story

Coleman on energy access lessons from Peabody Energy's demise

Peabody Energy just declared bankruptcy after years of financial instability owing to sustained low natural gas prices, the increasing social and environmental cost of burning coal, and other market factors. One of the companies’ last ditch efforts to remain relevant was the launch of their Advanced Energy for Life campaign created to promote coal development as a way to lift the poor out of poverty and provide lasting energy access.
June 8, 2016
Fellow Story

How to bridge the climate funding gap for developing nations?

Despite a collective promise made by wealthy to developing countries of $100 billion annually by 2020, there is a Grand Canyon sized gap before us in reaching that goal. Adaptation costs alone in developing countries may rise to $150 billion or more by 2025, so $100 billion should be viewed as a basement, not a ceiling, to be scaled up over time. Vulnerable countries didn’t create this problem, but they are suffering most.
June 7, 2016
Fellow Story

Dipti Vaghela: The Surprising Success of Micro Hydro

Dipti Vaghela is passionate about micro hydro. Vaghela’s organization, the Hydropower Empowerment Network, takes a country-by-country approach to rural electrification, helping micro hydro and other technologies take root in places where electricity is expensive and hard – or even impossible – to come by. Her goal? To bring electricity in a sustainable and participatory way to places that need it.
June 2, 2016
Fellow Story

Oil regulators increasing risk of earthquakes in California

Fellow Shaye Wolf asks why California regulators are letting oil companies increase quake risks by drilling injection wells near faults across the state?
June 1, 2016
Fellow Story

Climate change getting more personal

The realities of climate change are literally sinking in with weekly images of flooding, discussions of the next big storm or sophisticated maps outlining the new edges of the coast. Climate change is happening and its impacts could be devastating. But even with sobering stories about warmer waters and rising seas, we should not be paralyzed or abandon our current course of action for the Chesapeake Bay.
June 1, 2016
Fellow Story

Kapnick and Swain quoted on stormier West with climate change

The types of storms that have been bringing heavy snow and rain to the West this winter, triggering landslides and floods while easing stubborn droughts, are likely to become stronger and more frequent, according to the results of a conclusive new study. ... “This paper provides a nice framework for exploring storm variability in other regions of the world,” said Sarah Kapnick, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate change scientist. ...
May 31, 2016