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.

How can we bridge the climate adaptation and resilience funding gap, currently less than a third of the $200 billion needed annually?

This World Economic Forum blog post from Jonathan Phillips (Director, James E. Rogers Energy Access Project), alongside Jo Puri (UN Assistant Secretary General, International Fund for Agricultural Development [IFAD]) and Rania A. Al-Mashat (Minister of International Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt), explores innovative approaches to monetizing resilience benefits, highlighting the value propositions for different stakeholders, and the financial and nonfinancial returns from resilience investments.

How often do we take for granted the ease of flipping on a light switch and being able to read, cook or do work with abundant light? Watch this webinar recording from Duke Alumni Lifelong Learning  to hear Duke experts, including Jonathan Phillips, Director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project, discuss the interconnected nature of climate and human development policies and goals—ultimately fostering a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future for all. See the other videos in the playlist here.

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."

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.

Now in its 11th year, the competition engages diverse, creative teams of graduate students to address real energy challenges affecting the developing world. Teams from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the IESE Business School rounded out the top three, which were collectively awarded $15,000.

During Energy Week at Duke (Nov. 6-10, 2023), members of the university community will explore strategies for swiftly advancing an equitable clean energy transition. Organized by Duke students from diverse undergraduate and graduate degree programs, this year’s Energy Week events feature insights from industry and community leaders along with opportunities to compete, network and share ideas.

Toddi Steelman, Duke’s vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability, will travel to Singapore and China from Nov. 6–18 to meet with Duke partners to discuss climate and sustainability efforts. Duke representatives joining Steelman for the Duke International Forum on Nov. 17 include Nicholas Institute experts Brian Murray, Jackson Ewing, Jonathan Phillips and Elizabeth Losos.

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.