The upcoming midterm elections could have a massive impact on this country’s ability to make progress on climate change, Duke scholars Kay Jowers and Geoffrey Henderson said Wednesday.

Kay Jowers was part of an expert panel that discussed research-based solutions to the climate crisis during Duke’s annual Research Week.

In addition to keeping people safe and warm in their homes, bans on evictions and utility shutoffs might also limit the spread of COVID-19, new research from Duke University suggests. Kay Jowers told HealthDay that people forced to leave their homes may have to move to places with less social distancing, making them more vulnerable.

A new economics working paper from Duke University underscored the public health dimension of concerns that utility shutoffs are being kicked down the road during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomberg CityLab reported.

A new working paper from researchers at Duke University has found that policies that secured access to housing and utilities like water and electricity played a major role in preventing COVID-19 infections and deaths. Kay Jowers told The Appeal that the research "shows how important it is to public health that we have access to housing and water and electricity overall."

Kay Jowers told Energywire that a new Duke University analysis found moratoria on utility service shut-offs were "actually an effective intervention for stopping the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19."

Policies that helped financially struggling Americans stay in their homes and keep access to water and electricity during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped reduce the spread of the virus, according to a new analysis by Duke University researchers.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests of disproportionate police killing of Black Americans opened up political opportunities for addressing racial disparities across our social institutions in the United States, including greater consideration of environmental justice. Kay Jowers and Kate Konschnik write about movement on environmental justice at both the state and federal levels over this year.

In the United States, organized protests are calling attention to a range of collective grievances, including structural racism, disproportionate police violence against Black Americans, and even COVID-19 pandemic-related actions. On Labor Day 2020, Kay Jowers reflects on how these issues tie into the movement for environmental justice.

The Nicholas Institute is applying the expertise of its professionals to rapidly evolving environmental and energy issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read four stories about how Nicholas Institute projects are meeting the moment.