In the coming years, the shift to a clean energy economy in the United States will require major public and private investments in new infrastructure. The batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and electrical grid upgrades that will power the energy transition all require access to massive amounts of raw materials.

China currently dominates global supply chains for metals and minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and more clean energy technology. By pursuing next-generation technologies, the United States could "alter what materials are the most important" for the clean energy transition, helping to narrow the gap with China, Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told Newsweek.

One year on, the success of the Inflation Reduction Act—particularly for energy and climate goals—hinges on governance and prioritization, writes Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, in an op-ed for The Hill.

Although the Inflation Reduction Act didn’t garner a single Republican vote when it was signed into law a year ago, new clean energy infrastructure is being built in both red and blue states. That’s good news for the long-term prospects of a zero-carbon economy, Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told Sierra magazine.

Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest single investment in climate solutions and clean energy in U.S. history. Nicholas Institute experts Jackson Ewing and Kay Jowers offered comments and are available for interviews with journalists.

Countries around the world are experiencing record-breaking heat and other unprecedented extreme weather events, such as floods and wildfires. Jackson Ewing, Nicholas Institute director of energy and climate policy, joined an expert panel on CGTN's "World Insight with Tian Wei" to discuss whether rising temperatures are the "new normal" and how communities across the world can adapt.

This year's World Environment Day focused on solutions to plastic pollution. Humanity produces more than 430 million tons of plastic each year, two-thirds of which end up in landfills. On CGTN's "World Insight with Tian Wei," Nicholas Institute expert Jackson Ewing and other panelists provided insights on how the global community can reduce plastic waste.

Competition between the United States and China to build global infrastructure has surpassed direct diplomacy as the most critical element of the countries’ relationship for addressing climate change, wrote Jackson Ewing in a blog post for The Azure Forum.

Robert O. Blake, former senior adviser to US envoy for climate change John Kerry, spoke during a webinar hosted by Duke’s Rethinking Diplomacy Program as part of a new series on Climate Diplomacy.

Duke University had a robust presence at COP27, as scholars and students actively engaged with global decision makers. Nicholas Institute experts who were on the ground in Egypt share their thoughts on the outcomes of the conference.