Are you a Duke University alum with plans (or potential plans) to attend Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) or the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11-22)? Duke University experts will again take part in these important convenings alongside climate thought leaders and decision-makers from across the world—and we are eager to connect with other Duke community members who will be there.

Join this virtual town hall to hear about the Duke community’s plans for these events. Hosted by the Office of Climate and Sustainability and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

Announced in fall 2023, the National Climate Resilience Framework focuses on community-driven resilience and adaptation solutions implemented through local experts and cross-sector partnerships. During this webinar, find out about promising practices and lessons learned from two relevant national programs—the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund and NOAA's Climate Smart Communities Initiative.

Hosted by the Nicholas Institute, Climate Adaptation Fund, and Climate Resilience Fund as part of the National Climate Resilience Framework: Ideas to Action webinar series presented by the Resilience Roadmap project.

At the National Adaptation Forum, Lydia Olander, program director, and Liz Losos, executive in residence, will co-host a panel on Wednesday, May 15 as organizers of the Resilience Roadmap on the National Climate Resilience Framework.

Summer of 2023 served as a wake-up call for many regarding the impact of extreme heat. The toll on communities was severe. In this session, we will discuss extreme heat and its impact on public health, focusing on the prevalent myths and misconceptions surrounding extreme heat, shedding light on the realities that healthcare providers need to understand to effectively mitigate risks and provide optimal care.

Heat poses a significant threat to our health and well-being. As North Carolina summers become warmer and longer with high numbers of extremely hot days and warm nights, community leaders are asking for ways to prepare. Join us for an introductory webinar where we will explore North Carolina's changing temperatures, the dangers of extreme heat to human health, evidence-based strategies for preventing heat-related illnesses, how communities in NC are already preparing, and how the state government can help.

The US government's first-ever National Climate Resilience Framework establishes a vision for a climate-resilient nation and guidance for resilience-related activities and investments by the federal government and its partners. In this webinar, hear a variety of perspectives including from authors of the framework, state officials, and other critical implementation partners.

This is the first webinar in the National Climate Resilience Framework: From Ideas to Action series, presented by the Resilience Roadmap project.

This two-day symposium will bring together the Duke community and experts from the public and private sectors to explore the essential roles that the insurance and finance sectors can play in addressing future climate risks. The symposium will kick off on Feb. 15 with a keynote address, panel discussion, and reception open to the Duke community and the public.

Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at the Nicholas Institute, will be moderating this hybrid event, Building Heat Resiliency: Actions and Opportunities for Healthier Cities and Communities, at COP28 in Dubai at 2:15-3:30 a.m. EST (11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. GST) in the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Pavilion in the Blue Zone. Not attending COP28?

Duke students, faculty, and staff are invited to join a presentation from Francis Bouchard, managing director for climate at Marsh McLennan, on the role of the insurance sector in addressing climate risks.

Interested in extreme heat? Planning on being in NY September 19? Join us for climate week at a panel of experts from diverse sectors as they discuss challenges, investment needs, and actionable solutions for addressing extreme heat. This event will be moderated by Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University's Nicholas Institute.

Nicholas Institute experts Ashley Ward and Jordan Clark discuss the risks and effects of extreme heat together with Duke School of Medicine Assistant Professor J.J. Hoff, MD. The three of them will also share steps individuals, communities and governments can take to manage the dangers of extreme heat.

In November, the Biden-Harris administration released a roadmap for unlocking the potential of nature-based solutions in the United States. In the fourth session of the Nature-Based Solutions: Current Issues webinar series, hear from two authors of the roadmap, as well as federal agency representatives.

US federal agencies use cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to make decisions about the types of infrastructure projects to implement. In the third session of the Nature-Based Solutions: Current Issues webinar series, experts working with the federal government discuss how these policies might be updated to enable more nature-based solutions projects.

One of the major hurdles keeping NbS projects from scaling up is finding ways to pay for them. This session, the second of the Nature-based Solutions: Current Issues webinar series, highlights insights about various mechanisms that can be used to pay for NbS, including state and federal policies and programs, as well as finance tools.

Session one of the Nature-based Solutions: Current Issues webinar series focuses on assessing the costs and benefits of NbS. How can we account for all the benefits NbS provide? How do they compare to more traditional (gray infrastructure) solutions? What is the return on investment for NbS?

As extreme weather takes an increasing toll across the country, congressional interest in making communities more resilient is on the rise. Resilience funding was a prominent area of bipartisan climate cooperation in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. And bipartisan congressional proposals to improve U.S. climate resilience are being put forward in the House and Senate. 

The infrastructure we build today will be with us for many decades to come, so it needs to be “future proofed” to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Bipartisan infrastructure legislation (such as the recently passed IIJA) authorizes a generational investment in new and upgraded transportation facilities – roads, bridges, rail, ports, airports, and public transit. Many new transportation projects will be in coastal areas, home to almost forty percent of Americans. There is growing evidence that more severe storms and rising sea level pose a risk to transportation infrastructure in coastal areas.

This webinar will examine the steps that governments are and could be taking to make sure that new transportation investments are resilient to risks posed by coastal storm flooding and rising sea levels.

How should the U.S. move forward with a climate resilience strategy that places racial, economic, and environmental justice at its core? At this virtual event, Biden-Harris administration officials will exchange ideas with leaders from the resilience, environmental justice, and climate policy communities.