Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Climate Change
Huber Weighs In on the Modern Electricity Grid on Bloomberg ‘Odd Lots’ Podcast
“Now this is where we reached this impasse where if we really want to totally restructure the grid, totally grow it in ways that can serve decarbonization, and AI...then perhaps this sort of more integrated, more central planning, more coordinated and socialized investment model could be more useful than this very scattered and sort of fragmented system we have now,” says Matt Huber, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Climate Change, Energy, Government, United States
Huber Article on the Politics of Building Published in Damage Magazine
“The turn to a ‘politics of building’ is a welcome change in environmental thinking, but the green Left is still at odds in important ways with the labor movement, which better understands what is needed for deep decarbonization and, most importantly, has the power to help bring it about,” writes Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Climate Change, Infrastructure, Labor, Sustainability, United States
The Dynamic Sustainability Lab: Creating a Sustainable Future
“We try to explain the environmental, economic and social benefits as well as possible unintended consequences and risks of the net-zero transition to decision makers,” says Jay Golden, founder and director of the lab and the Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance in the Maxwell School.
See related: Climate Change, Energy, Student Experience, Sustainability
Sultana Piece on Collaborating to Advance Water Justice Published in Nature
“Globally, safe water access for all can be achieved only by involving Indigenous and local communities in water governance and climate planning. People are not voiceless, they simply remain unheard. The way forward is through listening,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Climate Change, Water
Koch Weighs In on the Location of the UN’s 2024 Climate Summit in NY Times Article
While there is an unavoidable conflict in a petrostate hosting a climate summit, it may also be fitting: The country that was home to the oil industry’s beginnings may also host negotiations that could one day bring the petroleum era to an end. “It is possible to frame it as something of a closure,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Central Asia, Climate Change, Europe, International Governmental Organizations
Research by Sultana Cited in Scientific American Article on Extreme Weather, Long-Term Health
Women in Bangladesh suffer disproportionately during floods, as Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, has documented in a study, in part because they bear the brunt of responsibility for managing water and food for their household, as well as taking care of their children.
See related: Climate Change, Gender and Sex, Mental Health, Natural Disasters, South Asia
Sultana Discusses the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) with BBC Newshour, CBC Radio, NY Times
"One of the challenges that's coming out of the COP is a focus on language rather than actual politics," says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. "So we can talk about abated/unabated [fossil fuels], whether there's possibilities for different forms of use, which source it's coming from. But I think what we really need to focus on is the overall production."
Huber Weighs In on Biden’s Absence at the COP28 Climate Change Conference in RM.id Article
"President Biden promised a 'whole of government' approach to the climate crisis after taking office. But his absence at the COP28 meeting signals a lack of interest in the dangers of the ongoing climate crisis. Given that the United States is the world's largest emitter, this should be an international scandal," says Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: China, Climate Change, Government, United States
Sultana Discusses Carbon Inequality With BBC News Brasil and The Guardian
“Carbon inequality is effectively a colonisation of the atmosphere by the capitalist elite of the planet through hyper-consumption and pollution, while the cost of that climate coloniality is borne disproportionately by the marginalised and vulnerable communities in developing countries,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Climate Change, Colonialism
Huber Discusses the Build Public Renewables Act in Public Power Review Articles
In his two-part essay on the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), Professor of Geography and the Environment Matthew Huber examines the labor question and assesses dubious campaign claims that BPRA is a climate victory.
See related: Climate Change, Energy, Labor, New York State, State & Local