Energy Resources & Access

Acres of asphalt parking lots, unshaded roads, dense apartment complexes and neighborhoods with few parks have taken their toll on the poor. As climate change accelerates, low-income districts in the Southwestern United States are 4 to 7 degrees hotter in Fahrenheit — on average — than wealthy neighborhoods in the same metro regions, University of California, Davis, researchers have found in a new analysis.

Anne Perrault's op-ed in the Hill argues for a bold reimagining of financial risk and responsibility in the era of climate change. Imperiled cities, mounting costs: Facing the big climate risk blindspot

Switzer Fellow Susannah Lerman, Research Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, is a co-lead of a partnership with the University of Minnesota that will establish the first urban long-term ecosystem research (LTER) site in the Midwest. Funded by a $7.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) Long-Term Ecological Research Program will focus on the dynamics of urban nature and the urban social system in the face of rapid environmental and social change.

The population of Texas today stands at almost 28 million. By 2050, that number is predicted to nearly double to 55 million, with most people clustered in already-dense urban centers like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.Over the next several decades, researchers also project an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms like Hurricane Harvey, as well as more heat, droughts, and floods.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson was recently interviewed by Gina McCarthy for a profile as one of the leaders selected to TIME100 Next 2021. When the dark consequences of climate change engulf our discourse, I search for a light that shines on the opportunities and potential for the future. That’s why I turn to Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

Sarah Smith, Clean Air Task Force’s Super Pollutants Program Director, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). She will be instrumental in driving their 2030 Vision that aims to put the world on a pathway that rapidly reduces warming the near-term while maximizing development, health, environmental and food security benefits.

Kartikeya Singh recently wrote a commentary piece for the Center for Strategic & International Studies' website called "Agenda for India's Green Recovery" in which he argues elements of India's fiscal policies coupled with cooperation of states can be leveraged to ensure India’s continued economic growth also supports its ecological security.

Henry Herndon was one of the featured guests on a recent episode of New Hampshire Public Radio's The Exchange, talking about community power. Listen to the episode