IBES in the News | Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

August 13, 2024 Ecosystem Marketplace

How I learned to stop worrying and love (or tolerate) carbon offsets

"Emissions reductions have to be at the main focus of climate action, but offsets should probably also be part of the toolbox." IBES Professor Stephen Porder writes in this commentary article.

August 12, 2024 News from Brown

New study unveils 16,000 years of climate history in the tropical Andes

Brown University researchers highlight the roles of carbon dioxide and ocean currents as key drivers of temperature fluctuations in the tropical Andes over a 16,000 year period.

August 8, 2024 The Guardian

For Maui wildfire survivors who moved to Las Vegas, another climate disaster awaits: extreme heat

Professor of Population Studies and Environment and Society (Research) Elizabeth Fussell provided commentary on the relationship between the housing crisis and climate change's effects on mobility.

August 7, 2024 CT Mirror

Opinion: Offshore wind is an important step toward sustainability

This article notes that research by IBES' Climate and Development Lab "has uncovered dark ties between seemingly local wind opposition and seasoned fossil fuel interest groups and climate-denying think tanks."

August 6, 2024 EurekAlert!

Future enterovirus outbreaks could be exacerbated by climate change

Assistant IBES and Epidemiology Professor Rachel Baker offered commentary on a new study she led.

August 5, 2024 Fast Company

At this college gym, students keep the lights on by running on the treadmill

Elina Pipa '25 discussed the tangible impact of her final project for an IBES climate solutions course.

August 4, 2024 SciTechDaily

Fundamentally Altering Earth’s Glacial Cycles: Antarctic Ice Sheet Growth Triggers Mid-Pleistocene Climate Shift

Researchers, including IBES Affiliate Steven Clemens, revealed the pivotal role of the growth of the Antarctic ice sheet and associated Southern Hemisphere sea ice expansion in triggering the mid-Pleistocene climate transition.

August 1, 2024 WBUR

The fallout from Vineyard Wind's broken turbine blade

“A lot of the anti-offshore wind groups are just throwing up whatever they can and seeing what sticks to the wall,” said IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts.

July 31, 2024 PBS

Sea Change: Peril in the Gulf of Maine

IBES Fellow Jon Witman, PhD alum Robbie Lamb, and their team of researchers are featured on this episode of PBS's NOVA.

July 30, 2024 Environment+Energy Leader

MIT Study Tracks Exposure to Air Pollution Throughout the Day

IBES Affiliate Erica Walker co-authored a study that found considerable disparities in how much people are exposed to air pollution based on their daily mobility.

July 29, 2024 GBH

Conservationists seek permanent marine protection for Cashes Ledge off Cape Ann

“There’s no other marine ecosystem like it,” IBES Fellow Jon Witman said of Cashes Ledge. “Our research showed that it’s a productivity hotspot and a biodiversity hotspot.”

July 29, 2024 The Boston Globe

Watching climate change is scary. Barrington students wanted local opportunities to take action, so they started a club.

IBES Director Kim Cobb has led presentations for the Barrington Environmental Establishment.

July 27, 2024 The Washington Post

4 hottest days ever observed raise fears of a planet nearing ‘tipping points’

IBES Director Kim Cobb noted that "we're dancing about a climate average that is very dangerous for communities and ecosystems around the world."

July 18, 2024 News from Brown

Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms

A study based on labor-intensive fieldwork and analysis by Brown biologists in tropical mountain regions shows that a warmer and drier climate will lead to massive losses of plant species.

July 18, 2024 Common Dreams

Oil Giant Ran 1977 Article Linking Climate Change to 'Widespread Starvation'

"Pestilence, starvation, drought. To know one's product may bring that about, and bury the evidence, is unspeakable," commented IBES Professor Timmons Roberts.

July 15, 2024 WGBH

Providence’s port community punches back against pollution

As community members in environmental justice zones call for cleaner air, Breathe Providence uses data to support their cause.

July 15, 2024 RealClearEnergy

We Need a Shared Vision for Fixing the Climate Problem

In this opinion piece, IBES and EEOB Professor Stephen Porder argues that "we are going to need everyone around the table" to address climate change, and "the policy/economic/social tools we dislike may achieve results we applaud."

July 15, 2024 Grist

The siting of an offshore wind port raises new conflicts in Maine

This article cites research from IBES' Climate and Development Lab.

July 15, 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Aviation Pros

Hot weather is more dangerous than you think, experts say

IBES Director Kim Cobb discussed the grave threats posed by excessive heat, noting how such afflictions disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

July 11, 2024 NewScientist

Melting sea ice is hindering, not helping, Canadian Arctic shipping

IBES and DEEPS Professor Amanda Lynch discussed new research about melting ice in the Canadian Arctic and its geopolitical and economic implications.

July 10, 2024 Scholars Strategy Network

Disaster Management in the Era of Climate Change

In this episode of the No Jargon podcast, Elizabeth Fussell — professor of population studies and environment and society (research) — shares insights on how extreme weather impacts communities and lessons for improving disaster responses.

July 3, 2024 The Guardian

‘It’s nonsensical’: how Trump is making climate the latest culture war

"[Trump is] trying to breed a resentment, which speaks to people’s sense of powerlessness, about how elites are running our lives, making us drive these crappy cars and stopping us from buying an incandescent lightbulb," Visiting IBES Professor Robert Brulle commented.

June 13, 2024 EcoRI News

Climate Crisis Fuels Unhealthy Southern New England Air

Allan Just, associate professor in IBES and the Department of Epidemiology, offered insights on the current state of local and global air pollution.

June 10, 2024 Newsweek

Earthquake Study Challenges Conventional Wisdom: 'New Way of Understanding'

IBES Affiliate Victor Tsai co-authored a new study that challenges traditional beliefs about the cause of earthquakes.

June 9, 2024 MSNBC

'Climate change is deadly, it's costly, and it's something that can be avoided': expert on rising temperatures

IBES Director Kim Cobb spoke with MSNBC's Alex Witt about the ongoing climate crisis and how 2023 was the warmest year on record.

June 7, 2024 Scientific American

Could the U.S. Ban Fossil Fuel Ads?

Visiting IBES Professor Robert Brulle noted that the U.N. secretary general’s call for a ban on fossil fuel advertising is a turning point in raising the public’s awareness of misinformation.

June 6, 2024 CBC

UN chief calls for fossil fuel ads to be banned like cigarette ads

"I don't think that this issue is going to go away at all, and I believe that these calls will result in some jurisdictions actually banning fossil fuel advertising," commented Visiting IBES Professor Robert Brulle.

June 6, 2024 ASB Zeitung

UN sharply criticizes the fossil fuel sector

IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts noted that "Money from [fossil fuel] companies floods every aspect of our lives, making it challenging or impossible to undertake the comprehensive climate action science demands."

June 5, 2024 CNN

UN chief calls for an end to advertising from oil, gas companies. Here’s why

IBES Director Kim Cobb spoke with Bill Weir, CNN's chief climate correspondent, about recent climate trends and future warming.

May 31, 2024 Climate One

You Gonna Finish That? Saving Good Food from Going Bad

IBES Senior Lecturer Dawn King was featured on this episode of the Climate One podcast

May 23, 2024 Science Careers

Why I pursued interdisciplinary research as an aspiring academic—despite the career risks

"Having expertise in multiple disciplines is my superpower, and my university has shown it values that breadth," IBES and Epidemiology Assistant Professor Rachel Baker writes in this op-ed.

May 15, 2024 NBC 10 WJAR

NBC 10 I-Team: Influx of air quality complaints waged against Allens Avenue businesses

Meredith Hastings, professor in IBES and DEEPS, discussed Breathe Providence: a hyperlocal air quality monitoring network that she leads.

May 8, 2024 Brown Graduate School

Professor Daniel Ibarra Honored for Exceptional Advising and Mentoring

In recognition of his commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive academic environment, IBES and DEEPS Assistant Professor Daniel E. Ibarra has been selected for the Graduate School Faculty Award for Advising and Mentoring in the physical sciences.

May 8, 2024 DeSmog