The Internet of Water's Storm Events Database offers easy access to more than 70 years of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data on nearly 2 million storm events. Hear insights into the tool from developers at Earth Genome, The Commons and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University.

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.

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.

While communities across the United States are facing growing threats from climate change, municipal bonds continue to be priced without these risks in mind, reports Dividend.com. A 2023 paper written by Nicholas Institute expert Martin Doyle and several co-authors found that increasing an issuer’s climate risk by 32 times only added 4.2 basis points to its yield. 

Lilli Watson, policy associate with the Nicholas Institute's Water Policy Program, presented the Internet of Water Coalition and its technology and capabilities to the Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water committee of the Oregon State House. 

Nicholas Institute experts Martin Doyle, Lydia Olander and Tim Profeta recently served one- or two-year terms with federal entities. They discuss their temporary assignments—and what they brought back to Duke.

Martin Doyle served for more than a year as a senior advisor on water resources in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Civil Works, which provides civilian oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Part of a series focusing on Nicholas Institute experts who have recently taken on temporary assignments within federal entities.

Ashley Ward joins 97.9 The Hill’s "News on the Hill" program every other Thursday to comment on the latest climate news.

Western North Carolina “was as prepared as most communities can be” for Hurricane Helene, Martin Doyle, director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute and professor of river science and policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment, told The Duke Chronicle. Doyle explained that Helene's destruction was amplified by increased atmospheric moisture and subsequent heavier rainfall, driven by rising global temperatures.
 

After some Olympic triathletes dropped out of competition due to illness, questions are being raised about poor water quality in the Seine River. River, lake and even ocean waters often get contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria after rain. Runoff from parking lots or lawns, gardens and fields can carry along oil and tar or bits and pieces of animal feces, Martin Doyle, Water Policy Program director at the Nicholas Institute, explained to The Washington Post.

As Florida counties eye already-conserved public lands to offset impacts to urban and suburban wetlands, a blog post from the Environmental Policy Innovation Center outlines arguments for putting offsets on public lands and presents counterarguments. The blog post also cites a 2020 Nicholas Institute report to detail safeguards that can be put in place when public lands have to be used for mitigation.

A peer-reviewed analysis led by Duke University researchers suggest municipal bond markets are mispricing climate and race risk at a large scale. Lead author Erika Smull, a 2022 Ph.D. graduate of the Nicholas School of the Environment, told ImpactAlpha the result is Black communities are less likely to be able to invest in climate resilience upgrades.

The U.S. municipal bond market does not consider physical climate risks when deciding where to invest, but it generally requires higher interest payments from predominantly Black communities seeking to borrow, according to a new analysis.

Roughly a quarter of households in Jackson, Miss., are challenged by unaffordable water services amid an ongoing water crisis. Lauren Patterson and Sophia Bryson explore trends driving water unaffordability in Jackson and other communities and discuss potential ways forward in an op-ed for The Clarion-Ledger.

In 787 communities served by the United States’ largest utilities, 17 percent of households (28.3 million people) spend more than one day each month working to pay for water services and sanitation services, according to a new analysis by researchers at Duke University.