America's nearly 1.3 million square miles of forests absorb about 15 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions annually, storing carbon in growing trees, ecosystems, and wood products. By maintaining and expanding this forest carbon "sink," America can reduce greenhouse gas emissions more effectively and for less money, write Robert Bonnie, a Duke University Rubenstein fellow and former undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment at USDA, and Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests, in an op-ed for The Hill.

Three Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions' researchers are partnering on a Bass Connections project that explores how the Mid-Century Decarbonization Strategy could be turned into concrete policy for U.S. forests and agriculture.

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions Kate Konschnik and co-author Sarah Jordaan write in the News & Observer that states, industry, academics, and nongovernmental organizations are advancing methane measurement and mitigation efforts.

Nearly a decade ago, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change introduced the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative to encourage local stakeholders in developing countries to reduce emissions from forest clearings. The idea was to place a financial value on maintaining forest-stored carbon.

The 4R Research Fund recently awarded $273,500 in grants for five research proposals aimed at identifying the current state of knowledge and existing research gaps regarding fertilizer best management practices. The awards included a grant to Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions for work on meta-analysis of nitrogen losses.

A new suite of studies is shedding light on the significance of the agriculture sector both in accelerating climate change impacts and as an area of the economy that will suffer from warmer, more erratic weather. Brian Murray, director for economic analysis at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, comments in this ClimateWire article.

A study released last week says capturing methane gas from hog farms and routing it through natural gas pipelines could cut production costs, WUNC reports.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013