Duke University expert Tom Cinq-Mars told PolitiFact that sanctions levied against Russia during the Trump administration delayed, but did not prevent, completion of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Cinq-Mars and other energy experts said the Biden administration's later move to lift some of the sanctions made finishing the pipeline easier for Russia but did not equate to "approval" of the project.

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.

The new Office of Climate and Sustainability brings together several of Duke University's climate, energy, and environmental assets—including the Nicholas Institute—to help advance the mission of the Duke Climate Commitment.

Over $36 million in initial gifts will launch the Duke Climate Commitment, a new university-wide initiative focused on addressing climate change.

The Duke Climate Commitment will be formally announced on Sept. 29 and builds on the university’s longstanding leadership in climate, energy and sustainability to educate a new generation of climate-fluent innovators and create equitable solutions for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented opportunities to invest in energy systems and make them more resilient. It appears to have reinforced the status quo instead, write Amy Pickle and researchers from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Tennessee in an op-ed for The Colorado Sun.

During a virtual media briefing hosted by Duke University ahead of COP26, Drew Shindell and Kate Konschnik discussed the role of methane emissions in climate change, the benefits of reducing them, and how they can be better captured.

Stray methane is a sneaky pollutant that is hard to track and regulate. Kate Konschnik told the Casper Star-Tribune that regulations would ideally target operators’ methane outputs, but more research is needed to accurately estimate companies’ emissions for an output-based program.

Reducing methane emissions is crucial to fighting climate change. Kate Konschnik spoke with the Thomson Reuters Foundation for a video exploring readily available solutions and how to implement them.

Frequent use of exemptions may undermine public health protections of oil and gas setback policies, according to a new study led by researchers at the research institute PSE Healthy Energy, Harvard University, and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Solutions at Duke University.