Senior representatives from Duke Kunshan University’s founding partners were joined by renowned scholars, policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors for the 2024 Duke International Forum, an annual meeting of minds focusing this year on “Renovating Climate Policy and Green Finance for Future Sustainability.” Nicholas Institute experts Brian Murray, Jackson Ewing and Jonathan Phillips were among the participants.

Climate Week NYC 2024, held Sept. 22-29, gathered hundreds of business and political leaders across the globe to address the need for climate action. Among the distinguished voices included Duke University, whose lineup of climate experts shared their insights and research at several key events as part of Duke's Climate Commitment. A photo essay from Duke Today showcased the involvement of Duke scholars, including several from the Nicholas Institute.

Brian Murray, director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, research professor in the Nicholas School of the Environment, and research professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, has been appointed to chair the committee leading the search for Duke University’s next Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment.

The inaugural HeatWise Policy Partnership Summit convened more than 100 leaders from different sectors and parts of the country for three days to identify ways to make communities more heat resilient. The summit brought together executives from leading financial and insurance companies, high-ranking federal and state officials, foundation officers and Duke faculty, as well as community organizers whose work supports vulnerable populations.

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.

Following a national search, Duke faculty member Brian Murray has been appointed to a five-year term as the director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, effective immediately.

The 2023 Energy Data Analytics Symposium brought together more than 100 participants from academia, industry, government and nongovernmental organizations at Duke University in October 2023 to explore how artificial intelligence and other data science tools can help make energy systems more accessible, affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable.

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.