Discover highlights from FY 2025 in this digital report. Covering July 2024 to June 2025, the report features actionable research, engagement with decision‑makers on emerging issues and hands‑on learning experiences that equip Duke students to lead.

In mid-November, more than a dozen Duke students traveled to Belém, Brazil, to attend the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) as part of a unique Duke practicum course. Nicholas Institute expert Jackson Ewing, who leads the practicum course, and some of the students talked with The Chronicle about the experience of observing international negotiations and participating in panels on topics related to climate diplomacy.

The External Engagement Subcommittee of the Duke Climate Commitment Advisory Council is requesting proposals for the Duke Climate Collaboration Symposia series for the 2026-2027 academic year. Proposals are due by February 6, 2026.

Can the future of health care reform also be a future of climate resilience—one that makes health care more sustainable, affordable, and accessible while reducing its environmental impact? That question framed the discussion at a Duke Climate Collaboration Symposium on Oct. 1, 2025, co-hosted by the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and the Duke University School of Medicine.

Powering up AI. Improving grid resilience. Breaking into energy finance. These were just a few of the topics on the table at Energy Week at Duke in early November, organized by dozens of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse degree programs. The week’s events drew attendance of more than 1,200—the highest in its decade-long history. 

It’s been 75 years since the United States released its first and only national water strategy. In this episode of the Audacious Water podcast, Newsha Ajami (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) and Martin Doyle (Duke University) talk about why that original plan mattered, what it accomplished, and why today’s challenges call for a new approach.

How can a future with affordable, reliable and resilient energy be possible during "one of the most significant global transformations the world has ever seen"? That was the key question at the 17th annual Duke University Energy Conference. AJ Meyer (MEM '27), marketing co-lead for the conference, breaks down the conference session by session in a LinkedIn article and explores important highlights, practical applications and inspirational tidbits.

The rise of artificial intelligence is accompanied by a rise in the need for huge data centers. Duke University researchers Merritt Cahoon and Ian Hitchcock talked with WAER's Deeper Shade of Green podcast about their recent report examining whether the build out of these data centers will be a boon or bust in resource uses and innovation.

During the annual U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, Climate TRACE released a new tool that identifies potential solutions to reduce emissions at every major source of greenhouse gas pollution worldwide. Duke's Energy Data Analytics Lab contributed estimates of how much emissions could be reduced by retrofitting buildings with high-efficiency technologies for space heating, water heating and food preparation.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to standardize large load interconnections, but the advance notice of proposed rulemaking leaves open many critical questions. Former FERC Commissioner Allison Clements and Tyler Norris, lead author of a seminal Duke paper on load flexibility, talked with Latitude Media about some of those considerations.

Merritt Cahoon and Ian Hitchcock, researchers at the Deep Tech at Duke Initiative, joined the Policy 360 podcast to talk about a recent report they authored examining the sustainability challenges and opportunities for hyperscale data centers.

Diesel generators are meant to be used rarely by data centers, but there is concern they could run more frequently if grid operators disconnect them during times of peak demand, reports Inside Climate News. An alternative future could include diversifying backup power options to include battery storage, renewables, natural gas or cleaner diesel products, noted a February report published by the Nicholas Institute.

Data centers, grid resilience and clean energy financing were front of mind for hundreds of students, faculty and industry leaders who gathered on campus to discuss the energy transition during the 10th annual Energy Week at Duke, reports The Chronicle. The student-led series of events brought together experts from a wide range of professional backgrounds to explore emerging trends in the energy sector and solutions for some of its most pressing problems, like rising demand and a push to decarbonize.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can make large load flexibility a reality through implementation of proposed rulemaking on large load interconnections, according to a policy brief published by the Nicholas Institute. “There are huge benefits potentially from these kinds of flexibility commitments,” co-author and Roselle LLP partner Sam Walsh told RTO Insider.

A new Duke University study estimates the economic cost of the life cycle of plastic ranges anywhere from $436 billion to $1.1 trillion annually. While plastic products tend to be relatively cheap on the spot, “there are so many other costs that we may not necessarily realize we’re paying when we use that plastic,” lead author Nancy Lauer, staff scientist at the Duke Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, told Coastal Review.