Visiting Professor of Environment and Society Robert Brulle offered commentary on a study comparing fossil fuel companies’ advertising claims and actions.
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An Inevitable Showdown With the Fossil Fuel Industry Is Brewing at COP28
IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts offered commentary on the phasing out of fossil fuels and nations that are blocking change.
There’s a crisis in the Yukon River
IBES and History Associate Professor Bathsheba Demuth provided commentary on the various factors contributing to a decline in salmon in the Yukon River.
Newport Preservation Society sues feds over approved offshore wind farms
IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts offered commentary on offshore wind farms, explaining that they are crucial to cutting energy emissions and mitigating climate change.
Meet the Postdocs: Sonam Futi Sherpa
Meet Dr. Sonam Futi Sherpa, a new postdoctoral researcher in IBES! Sherpa is working with Professor Laurence C. Smith's Northern Change Research Laboratory, using a NASA SWOT satellite mission to observe water and the proglacial environment. Read this Q&A (edited for length and clarity) to learn more about Sherpa's work and what she looks forward to doing at Brown.
November 28, 2023
News from Brown
New state-of-the-art sensor at Brown is enabling city-specific air quality measurements in Providence
A high-grade air quality sensor installed on Brown’s campus is providing detailed measurements of carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in Providence, painting a clearer picture of local air quality.
Relax, Electric Vehicles Really Are the Best Choice for the Climate
Stephen Porder — Associate Provost for Sustainability and Professor in IBES and EEOB — clarifies some common misunderstandings about electric vehicles and their environmental impact in this opinion piece.
Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia’s Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations
Ahead of COP 28, an issue paper from the Climate Social Science Network (housed at IBES) reviews the history of Saudi Arabia’s role in global climate negotiations. It finds the Saudi Arabian state regards the UN climate talks and IPCC as diplomatic areas where it must slow, obstruct and – if need be – block progress. Co-authored by IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts.
Alumna Spotlight: Nora Ong ’23
Building upon her undergrad experiences, this IBES alum now creates mission-driven environmental change at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
November 17, 2023
News from Brown
Brown sociologist who contributed to new U.S. National Climate Assessment shares key takeaways
Professor Elizabeth Fussell discussed the Fifth National Climate Assessment, for which she co-authored a chapter, as part of the report’s expanded focus on the social impacts of climate change.
Fish Hacks
Written by Voss Postdoc Jayson Maurice Porter, this piece serves as a multi-species family history about how diasporic Black folks stay connected to the ocean and each other.
Study suggests active plate tectonics existed on Venus billions of years ago, not unlike Earth
Continued coverage of a new research paper co-authored by Daniel Ibarra, Assistant Professor in IBES and DEEPS.
Fossils Are Shaped by People. Does That Matter?
IBES Affiliate and Associate Professor of History Lukas Rieppel offered extensive commentary about the preparation of fossils, noting that they exist as bits of naturally shaped organic material and as “multimedia sculpture.”
November 15, 2023
News from Brown
Climate change effects hit marine ecosystems in multiple waves, according to marine ecologists
A Brown professor and two Brown-trained scientists co-authored a research review proposing a ‘more realistic’ conceptual model for understanding current and future changes to marine ecosystems in the wake of climate change.
Brown emergency medicine physician conducts disaster relief work in Nepal following earthquake
IBES Postdoc Sonam Sherpa, who grew up in Nepal, provided scientific insights on a recent earthquake that devastated the western region of Jajarkot.
Climate impacts in the U.S. are ‘far-reaching and worsening,’ federal report finds
IBES Director Kim Cobb said that the U.S. needs to embrace the “transformative adaptations” that NCA5 promotes as essential to withstanding coming climate risks.
Worsening warming is hurting people in all regions, US climate assessment shows
IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary on the Fifth National Climate Assessment, noting, "at the center of the report are people ... who have escalating risks associated with climate change as well as clear opportunities for win-win climate action."
The Fifth National Climate Assessment
Elizabeth Fussell (Professor in Population Studies and Environment and Society, Research) is among the authors of NCA5. You can read her work in Chapter 20, "Social Systems and Justice," which is the report's first-ever chapter dedicated to social science.
Nearly demolished twice, Urban Environmental Lab remains well-loved campus presence
The UEL, a former "alternative technology laboratory," houses IBES' undergraduate component.
Alumna Spotlight: Vasu Jayanthi ’23
Jayanthi’s undergraduate experiences and commitment to knowledge-sharing position her as an environmental advocate, ready to champion sustainability for policymakers.
Earth just experienced the hottest 12 months ever recorded
This article includes commentary from IBES Director Kim Cobb.
Money and Meaning in the Climate Change Debate: Organizational Power, Cultural Resonance, and the Shaping of American Media Discourse
New research from Rachel Wetts, Assistant Professor in IBES and Sociology
Sunrise Brown hosts student climate activists for conference, workshops, collaboration
IBES is proud to have supported the inaugural College Climate Gathering! Hosted by Sunrise Brown, the conference brought together more than 160 students from over 40 universities.
How Five Elements Define Life On Earth
IBES and Biology Professor Stephen Porder discussed his new book, "Elemental," on the Science Friday podcast.
November 2, 2023
News from Brown
With test-wells across campus, Brown University explores geothermal energy as renewable heat source
With a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, data from three test-wells will determine if conversion to a geothermal energy system can provide a renewable approach to heating campus buildings.
Research Spotlight: Associate Professor Bathsheba Demuth
In her travels to the Yukon, Demuth delves into the region's environmental heritage through the stories of those who sustain it.
As the climate changes, plants must shift their ranges. But can they?
IBES and Biology Professor Dov Sax offered commentary on habitat fragmentation, plant migration, and the challenges of forecasting in the face of climate change.
Billions of Years Ago, Venus May Have Had a Key Earthlike Feature
IBES and DEEPS Professor Daniel Ibarra is among the authors of a new study asserting that Venus may once have had plate tectonics that could have made it more hospitable to life.
October 26, 2023
News from Brown
Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago, study suggests
Simulations produced by a Brown-led research team offer evidence that Venus once had plate tectonics — a finding that opens the door for the possibility of early life on the planet and insights into its history.
Community fridges don’t just fight hunger. They’re also a climate solution.
Featuring commentary from IBES Senior Lecturer Dawn King.
IBES Lecturer Leslie Acton gives lunchtime seminar on marine research
Undergrad Fanny Vavrovsky said that the seminar offered “an actual path towards some kind of meaningful change that I can enact in the future.”
“That’s a theme for all the IBES events. These people are really cool, really engaged in what they’re doing, talking about projects that they actually care about and making an impact,” she added.
“That’s a theme for all the IBES events. These people are really cool, really engaged in what they’re doing, talking about projects that they actually care about and making an impact,” she added.
Rhode Island’s air quality in 2020 met state targets. What does that mean?
Commentary from IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts.
Here’s How Much Electric Vehicles Actually Cost, Explained by Environmental Scientists
Stephen Porder, IBES and EEOB Professor and Associate Provost for Sustainability, discussed the financial and environmental costs of electric vehicles.
50 years after OPEC Oil Crisis, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse talks current need for climate legislation
The Rhode Island senator sat down with IBES Affiliate and Political Science Professor Jeff Colgan on October 20.
A Celebration of Climate Innovation and Community: IBES Open House Highlights
On a sunny Saturday morning, students and families got an exciting look into IBES' research, curriculum, alumni engagement efforts, and more during the institute's 2023 Open House.
Latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory Shows Rhode Island Headed in Right Direction
Commentary from IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts.
Advocates say RIDEM’s new environmental justice policy has been a long time coming
Commentary from Meredith Hastings, Professor in IBES and DEEPS and lead for the Breathe Providence air quality monitoring project.
Exxon Mobil’s Pioneer Acquisition Is a Direct Threat to Democracy
A guest essay by IBES Affiliate and Political Science Professor Jeff Colgan.
Insights and Discourse: Reflections on "Indigenous Russia and the War in Ukraine"
Highlights from the October 10 panel discussion, held during the week of Indigenous Peoples Day.
Student Spotlight: Riley Schornak '24
Schornak is an IBES Voss Environmental Fellow pursuing an Engaged Scholarship Certificate on the intersections between health and the environment.
'Gobsmackingly bananas' September of extreme warmth has climate scientists alarmed
Commentary from IBES Director Kim Cobb.
What the Ice Asks of Us
A conversation about Antarctica with Elizabeth Rush, IBES Fellow and Assistant Professor of the Practice of English.
Honk honk! Can noise cameras reduce ‘potentially fatal’ sound pollution?
Commentary from Erica Walker: IBES Affiliate, epidemiologist, and founder of the Community Noise Lab.
Public Utility Commissions Are Exceptionally White. It’s Hurting Black Residents.
This article cites a report by members of IBES' Climate and Development Lab.
China Is Gaining Long-Coveted Role in Arctic, as Russia Yields
Commentary from IBES and DEEPS Professor Amanda Lynch.
Texas prisons are as hot as ovens. I’m being cooked like a rotisserie chicken
This article cites a study led by IBES affiliate and epidemiologist Julie Skarha PhD '22.
Feeling the heat: Researchers struggle to convey the complex impacts of climate warming on infectious disease
Commentary from Rachel Baker, Assistant Professor of Climate Health
Dedicated Brunonian leaves a legacy of environmental impact
George Billings '72 left an estate gift to advance the IBES' research, teaching, and advocacy.
Heather Chaplet ’94: Toward a More Sustainable Fashion Industry
Based in West Africa, Chaplet's company Xoomba prioritizes the wellbeing of its collaborators and the environment.
NYC Council plans to fight loud streets with 'noise cameras'
Commentary from IBES Affiliate and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Erica Walker