Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

Research

Climate change and flooding, pathogens and poverty, conflict and extinction – these threats know no borders. Our fragile planet and its vulnerable peoples are at risk. This time of unprecedented challenge requires bold solutions and innovative thinking.

The Institute and Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) understands the urgency of environmental challenges. An education and research hub, IBES harnesses academic excellence from many disciplines, from climatology and ecology to sociology and international relations.

At this dynamic cross-campus center, students and faculty conduct groundbreaking research and build creative solutions to complex 21st-century problems. Our work combines an understanding of the natural world and of human societies because environmental stewardship, human rights, and economic well-being are inextricably linked. Through our unique interdisciplinary approach, IBES fosters actionable research outcomes and the change agents of tomorrow.

While IBES has research strengths on a wide variety of topics, three of the most prominent revolve around the unique challenges posed by climate change.

Research Strengths

Effective climate policy in the United States is hindered by twin forces: 1) A strategic, well-funded misinformation campaign, and 2) Inertial barriers to change. IBES is positioned, through world-class leaders and funded research projects, to document and help unravel the misinformation campaign in the U.S. while providing the information and bridging the gaps needed to enact effective climate change policies.
No region of the world is warming faster or changing more fundamentally than the Arctic. These changes impact the region directly, but also spill over to impact the entire planet.
Climate change is fundamentally altering the risks and approaches needed to preserve species and ecosystems worldwide. Soon, many of the species on Earth will be “climate refugees”, no longer able to survive within their historic/native ranges. Likewise, many of the human-wildlife conflicts that currently exist will be exacerbated by climate change, while the very ecosystems that all species depend on will be threatened.

Contact us

   
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES)
Brown University
Box 1951
85 Waterman Street
Providence, RI 02912

Phone: 401-863-3449
Fax: 401-863-3839
environment@brown.edu