Duke University and the University of Georgia are partnering with leaders from the insurance and climate data industries to launch the Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions (CIRCAD), a new initiative focused on advancing insurance innovation and large-scale risk mitigation amid escalating climate disasters, the Pratt School of Engineering announced.

Nicholas Institute experts Lydia Olander and Sara Mason were among leaders from 20 states, academics, nonprofit experts and private sector partners who gathered in August for the annual State Resilience Planning Group, convened by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The group shared best practices and lessons learned to increase disaster resilience, with a focus on how to leverage nature and innovative infrastructure solutions.

At Climate Week New York City 2025, two themes resonated throughout Duke University’s presence: innovation and connections. Duke Today recapped some of the nearly dozen events across the week that Duke experts—including several from the Nicholas Institute—participated in. The events connected climate to finance, health, oceans, technology and more.

Decarbonizing the global economy will require trillions of dollars, largely from private sector investors. What could help accelerate the mobilization of private capital to advance climate solutions? Leaders from finance, government, industry, and academia exchanged ideas about this at the second annual “From Billions to Trillions” summit at Duke University on April 9, 2025. 

Duke University researchers have launched a public dashboard tracking the progress and impact of nature-based solutions efforts along the East Coast. The new resource will provide updates on projects led by the Atlantic Conservation Coalition, which includes state governments in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, in addition to The Nature Conservancy. Eighteen additional organizations are also partners in the effort.

Duke experts are exploring ways to enhance community resilience to extreme weather events. Lydia Olander and Francis Bouchard joined engineering professor Mark Borsuk in leading a 2024-2025 Bass Connections team exploring community-based catastrophe insurance.

The SALA & Duke Climate and Sustainability Summit gathered more than 100 leaders, researchers and advocates May 21–22 at Duke University to explore bold climate solutions and institutional commitments. Duke Today wrote about some of the university scholars who participated in the summit, including Brian Murray, Nicholas Institute director, and Alison Taylor, Duke Climate Leader in Residence.

Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, spoke at a recent Appalachian State University forum about the urgent need for climate resilience alongside former FEMA Administrator Brock Long. The discussion highlighted strategies for communities to adapt and recover from climate-related impacts, recapped by The Watauga Democrat.

As part of its "Disaster 101" series, Duke Today interviewed emergency managers and Duke experts to try to make sense of layers of governments, regulations and communications involved in emergency response and rebuilding. Although experiences differ, common lessons in community and relationship building emerge in their stories.

Long and Ward, two nationally recognized experts in climate resilience and emergency management, will discuss actionable solutions to help communities prepare for and recover from climate-related disasters. The event will be held Tuesday, Feb. 25, as part of Appalachian State University’s Pathways to Resilience initiative.

During its first month, the Trump administration froze U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant funding and raised job security concerns among the agency's employees, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. Nicholas Institute senior fellow Tim Profeta, who worked at EPA for two years, talked with the paper about the effects on organizations that rely on federal funding for projects and programs to advance climate progress in the state, as well as thousands of EPA employees based in North Carolina.

In the first part of a Duke Today series called "Disaster 101," several Duke experts provided an introduction to the disaster management cycle. The number and cost of billion-dollar extreme weather events in the United States has been steadily increasing for decades. Lydia Olander, director of the Nature Activation Hub at the Nicholas Institute, explained that climate change and people moving into high-risk areas are combining to drive the increase.

The Innovation Showcase during the annual Energy Week at Duke brought together more than 100 students, faculty and industry leaders to explore climate tech solutions, reported WRAL News. Highlighting projects from the university's Design Climate incubator, students presented cutting-edge ideas to tackle coastal erosion, decarbonize industries, empower rural communities for a sustainable future and more.

Several Duke experts are attending COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, to share insights, advance collaborative initiatives and network. They are accompanied by 17 students who are getting an up-close view of how international climate policy moves forward.

How can debt-for-nature swaps meaningfully address the triple crises of debt, climate and biodiversity? This one-hour panel discussion at Climate Week NYC, moderated by executive in residence Elizabeth Losos, examined opportunities and obstacles involved in maximizing the potential of these swaps.