Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) may result in up to a 30% reduction in nearby home values, according to a new study from Kay Jowers and colleagues from Just Environments. Despite waste contamination risks from CAFOs, farms are not required to obtain permits or have their waste management systems inspected. Just Environments is a joint program of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

Nineteen individuals and teams were recognized Thursday with Climate Commitment Leadership Awards at the annual Duke Climate Commitment Celebration event. Award recipients included Nicholas Institute experts Kay Jowers, Lydia Olander, Ashley Ward and Katie Warnell.

A new White House strategy targeting plastic pollution cites Duke University research on the environmental justice implications of plastics' impacts.

Are you a Duke University alum with plans (or potential plans) to attend Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) or the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11-22)? Duke University experts will again take part in these important convenings alongside climate thought leaders and decision-makers from across the world—and we are eager to connect with Duke alumni who will also be joining.

Ashley Ward (Heat Policy Innovation Hub, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability), Linda Coley (Ormond Center, Divinity School), Francis Bouchard (Climate Leader in Residence and climate resilience and insurance executive), Susannah Tuttle (N.C. Interfaith Power & Light, N.C. Council of Churches), and Robert Reese (S.C. Interfaith Power & Light) will co-lead a research project examining environmental and climate justice in North and South Carolina. Alongside other partners from Duke (Michelle Lewis, Divinity School; Jordan Clark, Nicholas Institute), and the private sector (Conitsha Barnes, Duke Energy), the team will address the funding gap contributing to persistent energy inequality.

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.

Investments aimed at building the resilience of climate-vulnerable communities are falling woefully short—and the private sector is almost entirely absent, write Rania A. Al-Mashat (Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation), Jyotsna Puri (International Fund for Agricultural Development) and Jonathan Phillips (James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke) in a blog post for NextBillion. To help enable this investment, the trio discuss an initiative to measure and monetize climate resilience in an effort to establish a "resilience credit."

Choosing to devote your time and energy to a community organization is commendable, but good intentions don’t always lead to positive impacts. Kay Jowers, director of Just Environments, offers nine tips for how you can make the best contributions while volunteering—and how to cultivate meaningful relationships while you do it. Jowers credits the tips to the community partners who have generously guided and mentored her.

World leaders—along with government officials, nongovernmental organizations, researchers and activists—gathered in Dubai for the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference to discuss ways to advance climate action. Experts from the Nicholas Institute attended the conference, released publications or announced initiatives tied to it and/or followed the proceedings closely.

At the eighth annual Energy Week at Duke, experts across diverse sectors shared insights on the global transition to clean energy. Hundreds of students, faculty, professionals and community members took part in the event series, which included a one-day conference in addition to panel discussions, a field trip, a business case competition and more.