Some of the United States' premiere environmental laws of the 1970s—such as the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act—need to be reformed to more quickly meet today's environmental goals. Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told Newsweek the U.S. must adopt policies that allow for different permitting processes or accelerated approval for renewable energy and infrastructure projects before beginning construction.

The “From Billions to Trillions” summit convened stakeholders at Duke University on Feb. 28 to create a shared vision for unleashing private capital for climate solutions. The summit featured public officials, business leaders, and Duke faculty sharing insights on how the influx of federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS Act, and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will impact and stimulate private green investment.

Energy Pathways USA hosted a briefing about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s newly released power sector regulations on May 7. Nicholas Institute expert Tim Profeta, former EPA special counsel for the power sector and senior advisor, explained the new standards for existing coal and new gas-fired power plants, outlined the key implications and questions for U.S. decarbonization and answered attendee questions.

The potential for connectivity among Asian carbon markets is significant, with economic, environmental, and strategic benefits anticipated. However, uncertainty persists regarding the extent and nature of market integration. This webinar, including a presentation by Director of Energy and Climate Policy Jackson Ewing, discussed the history and experiences on carbon market linkages, and the potential benefits, barriers to linkages, and paths forward for Asian carbon market connectivity in light of evolving international carbon market trends and policies. The forum is part of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Policy Open Dialogue Webinar Series, organized by the Asian Development Bank's Regional Cooperation and Integration Division.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released four pollution rules that could largely remove coal from the U.S. power grid by the early 2030s, reports E&E News. “These are very significant and important rules for the general transition of [the power] sector,” said Tim Profeta, senior fellow at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

Alix Peterson Zwane, Ph.D., the first executive in residence with the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke University, discusses what brought her to Duke and how international aid and development can be better targeted to improve people’s lives while minimizing environmental impact.

Brian Murray, interim director of the Nicholas Institute, spoke with Business North Carolina about Duke Energy's transition away from coal-fired electricity generation and toward natural gas, and its eventual goals for solar and renewable capacity.

Federal officials and business leaders at a Duke University summit on Feb. 28 identified critical steps toward a low-carbon future. The full day of conversations drew nearly 500 people from the Duke community, the public and private sectors, nonprofit organizations and other academic institutions.

Director of Energy and Climate Policy Jackson Ewing was one of the expert panelists at the Asia Society Seattle's webinar discussion on the state of global climate change efforts in Asia. The panel highlighted Asia’s crucial role as one of the regions most vulnerable to natural disasters and global warming as well as one of the biggest contributors to climate risks and home to five of the largest greenhouse gas-emitting countries and half of the world’s CO₂ emissions.

Transitioning away from an energy system dependent on fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Watch this webinar recording from Duke Alumni Lifelong Learning to learn from Duke experts, including moderator and Nicholas Institute executive-in-residence Eric Rohlfing, what needs to change to adopt a workable clean energy plan for all and reduce our over-reliance on fossil fuels. See the other videos in the playlist here.